Fury in American GAA over club fines during pandemic

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A major row has developed in USGAA arising from clubs not travelling to compete in August’s finals.

Held in Boston, 20 clubs elected not to send teams because of Covid concerns and had informed authorities in advance that they would not be participating.

A statement issued by San Francisco GAA secretary Mike Nash read: “During the late summer months, Covid-19 continued to rage through the USA, and over 700,000 died in the preceding 18 months. With a patchwork of lockdown guidance, and vaccine rates that varied significantly across the 50 states, the US Centers for Disease Control and other health authorities were strongly recommending that people avoid non-essential travel.

“As a result, 20 clubs in the USGAA — including many who would be faced with nearly 6,000 miles of round trip air travel — chose to put a priority on club member safety, and not participate in the annual Finals. These clubs informed the USGAA County Board of their decisions months ahead of the scheduled games.

“Despite the pandemic concerns and adequate notice, the USGAA County Board chose to levy nearly $20,000 in fines on 20 clubs, and informed the clubs that there would be no hearings or ability to appeal the decision.

“In addition to the monetary penalties, clubs in the Western Division, which includes the San Francisco area, were informed that they would be barred from nominating candidates for board positions at the upcoming Convention, and risked being banned from competing in USGAA events during the 2022 season.” 

USGAA Western Division chairperson Bertie Penny condemned the fines. “The USGAA Board is punishing clubs for prioritizing the health and safety of their members. For many clubs on the West Coast, a trip to Boston is the same distance as a Dublin GAA team traveling to New York. It is unacceptable for a volunteer organization to prioritize revenues over the health, safety and well-being of its members.” 

Paul McGarry, chairperson of USGAA Northwest Division echoed those sentiments. “Safety must always be the number one priority for all clubs. The USGAA Board is failing to set an example for the organization, further evidenced by their refusal to accommodate remote voting or publish COVID protocols for the 2021 Convention."

Ahead of their annual convention on Friday, the USGAA were unavailable for comment when contacted by the Irish Examiner. It is claimed in the statement that Croke Park “has chosen not to intervene”. When contacted, they referred to the USGAA board.