Stephen Rochford questions 'lack of consistency' on rainbow colours

GOAL MILE: Mayo assistant manager Stephen Rochford promoting AIB’s celebration of the GOAL Mile at Christmas. People and communities across Ireland can “Step Up Together” to take part by visiting www.goalmile.org. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Mayo assistant manager Stephen Rochford has criticised the GAA’s decision not to allow the team wear rainbow colours on their numbers as inconsistent.

Croke Park rejected the county’s proposal for their senior footballers to don playing tops supporting the LGBTQ+ community on the basis that the jersey was sacrosanct. However, the colours were worn by UL’s teams on the trim of their sleeves as they reached this year’s Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cup finals.

It is Rochford’s understanding that the request was for one Allianz Football League game as part of Mayo’s charity partnership with Mindspace, a youth mental health service in the county.

“What I’m led to believe is that the request got the unanimous backing of every club at a county meeting, so the people on the ground – the community, where the clubs are important – absolutely, resoundingly supported this.

“It’s a bit disappointing that there seems to be a lack of consistency in relation to this. I think people have seen pictures of the LGBTQ colours on jerseys in different places. I think it’s disappointing.

“I think the GAA is brilliant at a lot of things. I think it gets a hard time unnecessarily on certain items, but I do think this is a missed opportunity as the leading sports organisation, with the spread that it has. A National League game, there’s a high chance that it would be advertised, it just would give such a positive message."

On the injury front, Rochford revealed forwards Tommy Conroy (cruciate) and Ryan O’Donoghue (groin) are making good progress since Mayo returned to collective training on November 30.

“Tommy has partaken in two, I think it’s like every second one so he’s due now to train again Tuesday, which is all part of the agreed return-to-play. I think he’s very much on the right timeline to be available for competitive games in the New Year.

“And Ryan, I think, has completed four of maybe the five sessions thus far, so they’re in good nick and we’re really happy with the work that’s been done with them, by both the S&C guys and the medical team.” 

Rochford wished Oisín Mullin well as he starts an Australian Rules career with Geelong Cats. The Mayo management had spoken to him about their plans for 2023 but it became clear his plans involved joining the AFL Premiership champions he had initially signed for last year before choosing to stay in Ireland.

“We made efforts to make him aware how key we saw him as being part of the team, but it was quite clear that he had done a lot of thinking about it. He had made a decision last year for circumstances that changed, but it was clear for a young guy, 22, going on 23 next year, that it was an itch that he has to scratch.

“Whilst we are very disappointed, we wish him all the luck in the world but remain hopeful that, and this might sound a little bit contradictory, we will see him in a Mayo jersey again at some stage.” 

Little has changed with regards Lee Keegan’s situation as the veteran defender weighs up another season in the green and red. The former footballer of the year is expected to speak to McStay either next week or early in the new year.

The proximity of the end of the league – the final is on April 1/2 – to Mayo’s Connacht SFC quarter-final against Roscommon in Castlebar on April 9 may mean they change their approach to the end of the league, Rochford suggested.

“A seven-day turnaround to any championship game would be a challenge. Now that it's going to be a Division 1 opponent, has good Connacht pedigree over the last number of years and under new management coming with new ideas and revitalised energy about them, we're very much conscious of all that.

“At the same time, what Division 1 has and how that impacts on the championship needs to be balanced. I think maybe after round four or when you get to March and it becomes a little bit tighter you might be reassessing where things are because it's so close.” 

*Stephen Rochford was promoting AIB’s celebration of the GOAL Mile at Christmas. People and communities across Ireland can “Step Up Together” to take part by visiting www.goalmile.org