GAA season unlikely to start for at least 10 weeks after confusion over Covid plan

Confusion reigned as Taoiseach Micheál Martin explained the Living With Covid plan had a clerical error regarding sport

A 10-week delay could mean the already restructured Allianz National Leagues will be scrapped or the inter-county championships redesigned. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

The GAA season is unlikely to commence for at least another 10 weeks despite the Government’s new Living With Covid plan recoupling inter-county GAA with elite sports.

Confusion reigned as “The Path Ahead” document exempted inter-county games along with professional, elite, and horse-racing behind closed doors as a Level 4 sport, with no sports permitted at Level 5.

However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin explained at the following press conference that current list of elite sports exempted under Level 5 restrictions, which doesn’t include inter-county GAA, will be allowed to continue and there may have been a clerical error in the plan.

“The levels are a continuity from the old plan,” said Martin. “The elites will continue, there is no question about that. There may be an issue there (with the new Level 5 restrictions allowing for no sports), I’ll check with the transmission of that but there is no issue in terms of the policy.”

Martin added: “In terms of the sports situation, it still applies in relation to elite sports and coming up to April 5 we would then look at what more we can do in relation to some sports and outdoor activities more generally. We will wait until the week before April 5 to take an assessment on that.”

This is the second time in the space of two weeks that the Government has failed to make clear what sports can take place at Level 5. Earlier this month, they made a hasty amendment to the Health Act to allow for the Six Nations games and other matches involving foreign teams in this country after it emerged that the events were legally not permitted.

The likelihood is it will be at least another six weeks until inter-county training can resume. With the GAA determined to provide counties with four weeks of preparations, the first competitive games are unlikely to be staged until early May. Such a delay could mean the already restructured Allianz National Leagues will be scrapped or the inter-county championships redesigned.

The postponement would fall in line with the view of the GAA’s Covid-19 advisory body who believed inter-county would not return until after Easter (April 4) at the earliest. They did so following the Government’s confirmation to GAA chiefs that the Level 5 exemption for inter-county GAA elapsed at the end of December.

On February 10, GAA director general Tom Ryan and president John Horan wrote to units explaining the body’s view: “The Government representatives clarified that inter-county Gaelic Games activity is not covered under the current Level 5 exemptions for elite sports. As such, a return to intercounty training or games is not permitted under the current restrictions.

“It was also clear that there will not be any change to this position post-March 5 when the restrictions currently in place are reviewed. It is the view of the GAA’s Covid Advisory group that no on-field activity will be permitted - training or games - until Easter at the earliest.”

“Senior club championship” GAA has been exempted from Level 3 having previously been Level 2. Also in Level 4, non-contact outdoor training can take place in groups of no more than 15. That also applies at Level 3, and at Level 2 contact training in pods of no more than 15 is permitted.

This past weekend, Horan insisted the organisation would maintain its county-first approach to the 2021 fixtures calendar. However, the decision to switch club championship games from Level 2 to 3 will raise speculation club fixtures may be the first to be played this year.

“The inter-county, obviously will be the one that will come back first and then the club,” said Horan, and he added: “If you look at it in terms of the levels, and the reduction in the levels by the Government, it’s always likely that the inter-county will be at a level above that of the club. So one would assume that’s the road that will actually be pursued.”

However, there is a school of thought in Croke Park that club should go first so as to give the GAA the better chance of earning gate receipts if crowds are permitted back to games later in the year.

In his annual report, director of finance Ger Mulryan wrote: “The vaccination roll-out will directly influence when our games can fully return to normal and this is not forecasted to be complete until late 2021. It is in this context that all viable fixture options must be considered to strike a balance between providing games for all our club players and the financial benefits that the inter-county game delivers.

“It is not too late to see the Championship relocated to the backend of 2021 and to allow club to go first when restrictions hopefully begin to ease from late spring or early summer.”

On the soccer front, the League of Ireland will be returning as planned next month.