GAA set to release new fixtures plan next week

The GAA has welcomed confirmation of the senior inter-county and under-age training dates, but warned a team collectively training before April 19 runs the risk of putting the return to play in “serious jeopardy”. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

The GAA is aiming to confirm its revised 2021 master fixtures calendar by the end of next week after being given the go-ahead for senior inter-county training to resume from April 19.

In a letter to county and club secretaries last night, GAA president Larry McCarthy and director general Tom Ryan did not confirm Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s earlier remarks that training was aimed towards the National Leagues taking place in May.

The Government’s website also confirms the level five exemption is “training for and playing of National Governing Body sanctioned and organised adult inter-county National Gaelic Games Leagues not including under 20 or minor competitions”.

However, it is expected the secondary competition will commence the 2021 GAA season on a shortened, regional basis in May followed by Championship in late June or early July, possibly using the same formats as last year: the Sam Maguire Cup as a knock-out competition and the Liam MacCarthy Cup featuring qualifiers.

There was obvious disappointment that training for U20 and minors can’t return at the same time — several games remain outstanding from last year’s U20 hurling championship and both minor codes. Non-contact under-age (U18) training in pods will not be allowed until April 26.

However, U20 inter-county matches may be given the green light from June onwards, while adult club training (albeit non-contact and in pods) could return in the 26 counties from May, with the possibility of league games the following month.

It is expected full club training at all levels in the six counties will be permitted from April 12 pending a review next week.

The GAA welcomed confirmation of the senior inter-county and under-age training dates, but warned a team collectively training before April 19 runs the risk of putting the return to play in “serious jeopardy”.

In its correspondence, McCarthy and Ryan stressed the need for compliance: “These are hugely welcome developments and allow us finally to begin planning on-field activity for the remainder of 2021. However, it should also be noted that these dates are conditional and will very much depend on what happens in terms of the overall Covid-19 picture in the coming weeks.

“For that reason, it is more important than ever that no collective training sessions are held between now and the Government indicated return dates. Breaches in this context will not only be dealt with under our own rules but would likely put the broader plan to return to activity in serious jeopardy.”

Among the number of options to be considered as the GAA reshapes its inter-county calendar are midweek league games, reducing the preparation period from four weeks so as to give more league games to counties, and running the Championship directly after the league.

In the original masters fixtures plan for 2021, there was a two-week break between the conclusion of the Allianz Leagues and the start of the football championship. That gap could now be cut to one. Last autumn, 17 counties played their first provincial game the weekend after their final league game.

Earlier this year, the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) was set to geographically split the hurling leagues as they had planned with football. That appears to be the plan now, but it remains to be seen how many counties they would assign to each group — each football division is split into groups of four.

The idea of midweek league games so as to give counties more meaningful matches has been floated. A straw poll conducted by the Irish Examiner, asking three inter-county football and three hurling managers/coaches, showed strong support for the idea of organising midweek games.

The league is not expected to take any longer than five weekends from May before a Championship period that could be run over as little as seven weekends, as was done for last year’s staging. If that timeline is agreed, August All-Ireland finals would be a possibility and the 12-week inter-county season window would be eight weeks less than that originally planned for 2021.

The CCCC has already assured counties will have sufficient time to complete their championships. Should the season commence in mid-May, it would mean a delay of 11 weeks from the calendar agreed in December. As a result, it is accepted the provincial club championships are likely go on into January 2022 — the original master fixtures list had only the 2021 All-Ireland club finals taking place at the start of 2022.