GAA activity to return in North from April 12

Club activity in North to restart as Covid advisory committee gives go ahead

The Irish Examiner understands April 12 is being considered as the official inter-county return date should the Government allow senior inter-county training to come back after Easter Monday. File Picture

GAA club activity can resume in Northern Ireland from April 12 after the Association’s Covid advisory committee gave the go-ahead.

Last week, the Northern Ireland Executive announced non-contact training for groups of 15 for outdoor sports at adult and under-age level could return from next month. However, clubs in the North required the recommendation from the GAA’s body for it to come into force.

The group, which features Professor Mary Horgan who is a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team, has not given the green light to county teams in the six counties to return from April 12.

A decision about the return of inter-county training in the 32 counties has been put on hold pending the Government’s plans to ease some restrictions from April 5. 

It has already been confirmed they will be considering inter-county as well as under-age club activity.

The Irish Examiner understands April 12 is being considered as the official inter-county return date should the Government allow senior inter-county training to come back after Easter Monday. However, given the strength of the Covid variants in the country at present the protocols around training are expected to be tighter.

Meanwhile, London GAA chairman Donal Corbett admits he is more occupied than the pandemic situation in Ireland than he is at the prospect of a return to games in the English capital.

Non-elite sport can return in England from next Monday and the Exiles still have their 2020 senior semi-finals involving Tir Chonaill Gaels, Fulham Irish, St Kiernan’s and Neasden Gaels to complete as well as their senior and intermediate hurling deciders.

Their senior footballers’ last game came against Wicklow in Division 4 in McGovern Park on February 29 last year while their hurlers’ previous outing was against Warwickshire in the Division 2B relegation play-off on March 8 2020 also in Ruislip. The footballers’ remaining league games against Waterford and Carlow were cancelled as was their Connacht quarter-final against Roscommon. Their involvement in the 2021 Allianz Division 4 campaign and the Connacht SFC is pending.

“A lot of documents are flying around at the moment and London haven’t considered them at the moment,” says Corbett. “There are so many things that have to be considered such as if we were to go back to Ireland right now we would have to isolate for 14 days beforehand. As soon as one problem is solved, another is created.

“It’s waiting and seeing. Once we get our own games up and running, we’ll see how we can interface with Ireland and what competitions we can play there. When is Ireland going to be up and running shall we say? Losing the elite status was a blow.

“At the moment my concern is the numbers rising in Ireland and the rollout of the vaccine in Ireland. That’s what we’re worried about. I’m living in London the last 35 years and as emigrants the first piece of news we look for is what’s happening at home. The numbers rising at home is worrying.”

London GAA’s 125th anniversary is two months away and it remains to be seen how they will be able to acknowledge the milestone. “We’re all about playing matches and we want to celebrate our 125th anniversary but at the core of it all is keeping people safe,” Corbett stresses. “Thank God we haven’t lost many to it in the association in London but one is too many.

“We done tremendous work last year to get the championships played. It was an immense amount of work by our volunteers to get that done. It was a pity we couldn’t finish it but everybody was safe.”