Timeline: Recent comments suggest GAA were in the dark over loss of 'elite' status

At no point over the past six weeks was there mention of the fact that inter-county activity was no longer permitted under Level 5. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers said this morning the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association were told last October that the exemption being provided to facilitate the running of the 2020 All-Ireland championships would conclude at the end of December.

If the GAA was aware of such, and that fresh concessions would have to be sought for the staging of inter-county competitions under Level 5 restrictions in 2021, one has to ask why the highest ranking officials in Croke Park engaged in such a public discussion around the shape of the 2021 season, when counties might return to collective training, and possible throw-in dates for the National League.

At no point over the past six weeks was there mention of the fact that inter-county activity was no longer permitted under Level 5.

The commentary from GAA top-brass since the unveiling of the 2021 master fixture plan on Christmas week gives the distinct impression they were not aware the GAA’s elite status under Level 5 restrictions ceased to exist at the end of December.

December 21: GAA publishes its 2021 Master Fixture Plan. The plan sets out that there will be no return to collective senior inter-county training before January 15. Senior inter-county challenge games are allowed from the start of February, with the National Hurling and Football Leagues to throw-in on the weekend of February 27/28. Asked why the GAA had decided to run off inter-county first, rather than club, the GAA’s Director of Player, Club, and Games Administration, Feargal McGill said: “If you took a short-term view of this, you would say there is no guarantee we’ll be able to play club games in the first quarter of the year because they’re not allowed now.”

January 1: Updated GAA guidance says it remains the GAA’s “intention that collective outdoor training for senior inter-county panels only may re-commence from January 15. However, given the current growth rates in virus transmission, this date is under review”.

January 5: In light of increased case numbers and the increased risk of community transmission, the GAA decide that collective training for inter-county teams will not be permitted for at least the remainder of January.

January 19: McGill tells the Irish Times that no radical changes to the GAA master fixture plan will be needed until “we lose four weeks”. “Training was supposed to resume on January 15 but we can probably hold off until mid-February before we contemplate cutting competitions or compromising on the time available to clubs.”

January 27: It is reported in various media outlets that the GAA is to extend the ban on inter-county activity until March 5, in line with the extension of the nationwide lockdown until the beginning of March.

February 1: Decision on a return-to-training date put back by a fortnight. In a letter to counties, GAA director general Tom Ryan and president John Horan say competitions throwing-in in March is a “definite possibility”. “As the situation with the virus remains fluid, it is unfortunately impossible for the Association to put definitive dates in place for when inter-county training or games may resume. However, there are positive indications in terms of the reduction of case numbers and the continued roll out of the Covid vaccine and as such, the commencement of competitions in the month of March is a definite possibility.” 

February 7: “At this moment in time, as we speak, the intention 100% is to absolutely play the leagues, play the championships, and then have a good club season after that. I'm still certain of it,” Feargal McGill tells the Mail on Sunday. “However, I can't see into the future. I don't know what it's going to bring with case numbers and all of that so we will keep monitoring the situation. But the numbers are going in the right direction. We have a formula from last year that shows we can play the Championship safely - and the Leagues for that matter. We might have to change tack as time goes by but so far I think it is still possible to do everything we promised.”

February 10: The GAA inform its units that at a meeting earlier this week between the GAA, LGFA, Camogie Association, and Government representatives, the latter clarified that “inter-county Gaelic Games activity is not covered under the current Level 5 exemptions for elite sports”.

February 11: Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers tells the Today with Claire Byrne programme on RTÉ Radio 1 that “the GAA were communicated last October that the concession that existed outside of the framework approved by Government was to have the inter-county championships and that concluded in December. The GAA didn’t request a concession in January, or even February. When we met them, in fact, they were very clear that there wasn’t a massive appetite to return in the immediate term”. GAA communications director Alan Milton remarks on Newstalk Breakfast that the GAA was operating under the assumption that the exemption provided in autumn of last year carried over into 2021. “A lot of people may presume that the exemption we had received last winter had automatically carried over, and while we were operating on that basis ourselves, [this week's decision] doesn’t come as any real surprise because we were always going to have to go back into negotiations or discussions with the health authorities and the Government to see if they were happy for us to return.”