Top GAA inter-county referees fail tough new fitness tests in record numbers

Top officials such as All-Ireland final referee last year, David Gough, plus the likes of David Coldrick, Niall Cullen, Anthony Nolan, and Derek O’Mahoney were among those who came up short in pre-season tests

TESTING: The country's top football referees struggled in pre-season testing. 

GAA chiefs are facing a serious referees’ issue ahead of the opening round of the Allianz Football League after record levels of fitness test failure by the country’s top match officials.

Only 19 of the 42 inter-county referees succeeded in meeting tough new pre-season fitness levels in tests conducted on Friday at Abbotstown. It leaves Croke Park with an insufficient number of certified officials for the opening weekend of 16 National League football games in a weeks’ time. Strictly speaking, each venue must have a standby referee, which would require 32 officials for the opening round of League games.

Stunned referees failed the bleep tests conducted by DCU’s Dermot Sheridan, who took over the role this year. Examiner Sportunderstands that of 42 officials tested, only 19 passed, 13 failed and ten did not do the testing for one reason or another. 

Top officials such as All-Ireland final referee last year David Gough, plus the likes of David Coldrick, Niall Cullen, Anthony Nolan and Derek O’Mahoney were among those who came up short. Mayo's Liam Devenney - who refereed last Sunday's All-Ireland Club IFC final at Croke Park - is regarded as one of the fittest officials on the inter-county scene and he also failed.

The likes of Joe McQuillan, Conor Lane, Paul Faloon, Sean Hurson and David Murnane passed.

The record levels of failure raise the obvious question: was the level of testing too tough or are inter-county officials not at the required level of fitness for the modern game?

CAUTION: Refs will probably be retested after the first couple of games.

As referee co-ordinators examine the shock findings, the likelihood is that repeat testing will be done on football referees in advance of the second or third round of Allianz League fixtures. Normally, the failure rates for pre-season bleep testing would be no more than a handful of referees. The country’s top hurling referees are scheduled to do their fitness tests next week and discussions are likely to take place Monday on the testing criteria and whether it is accurate.

Only the 19 referees who passed the Abbotstown fitness tests are now eligible to officiate next weekend’s Allianz Football League opening round. The remainder will have to be employed, though, as standby officials.