[ad_1]
It has been obvious for a while now that the 2020 GAA Championships would not be the same.
In early March, the GAA announced that its Allianz League program was being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, and last week the organization cast a vote that allowed its management committee to alter the championship structures, only previously allowed. by Congress.
They also said they don’t expect any games to be played before July at the earliest.
That in itself pointed to a shortened championship that is likely to be played by knockout.
And comments from Health Minister Simon Harris this morning, when he said it was “highly unlikely” that mass meetings would be held this year, were another warning that in such a fluid situation, everything is on the table.
The latest figures released, Saturday night, by the Department of Health show that 571 people have died in Ireland due to Covid-19.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1’s Sunday Sport, the panel of Colm Cooper, Ciarán Whelan and Oisín McConville gave their views on the situation.
“It is disappointing, but in all honesty, we felt this was going to happen,” said former Kerry Cooper forward.
“On a human level, there are people dying there. As sports fans, as GAA fans, we expected light to come at the end of the tunnel, possibly in the fall.
“But considering those comments, it doesn’t look like he’s going to be a runner right now.”
“Health will come first. While it might not be the best news for counties, there could be a silver lining for clubs in the end.”
McConville, a former Armagh striker, said: “The GAA is not going to be tested with this and will say, ‘Listen, we’ll have a championship anyway.'”
“It was quite inevitable, but at the same time it was devastating to read that this morning because sometimes it’s just hope that keeps you going.”
“The hope that we would have some kind of championship, knockout, behind closed doors or whatever. People were very much in agreement with that and I have never listened to the GAA community as someone in everything that has been [with this].
“That seems unlikely now.
“Only in moments like this do you realize how important sport is, only for mental health, to leave home.
“My mother is 84 years old, she’s trapped in the house all the time, we see her out the window, she lives for sports. My father died 20 years ago and sports and GAA kept my mother alive at that time, and she gave a purpose.
“Right now he doesn’t feel like he has that purpose. He misses the sport, he misses leaving the house and interacting with people.”
“The GAA gave us all of that and that is one of the things that we really miss at this stage.”
The Health Minister says we are unlikely to see massive gatherings in 2020. Would you be in favor of championship games being played between counties without supporters? #rtegaa
– RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 19, 2020
The possibility of playing closed-door championships was also discussed with Cooper and former Dublin midfielder Whelan, agreeing on how surreal such an occasion would be.
“The GAAs are right, they are monitoring the situation, they don’t want to make drastic decisions,” Cooper said.
“[But Gaelic games] behind closed doors, it’s not for me.
“The essence of GAA is that people go to Thurles, Clones, Castlebar, Killarney and head down Jones’ Road in Dublin. That is what makes GAA the atmosphere.
“Right now we should be smelling the freshly cut grass, preparing for the championship. It doesn’t sit well with us all, but I can’t see how a successful GAA championship would take place behind closed doors.”
“Can you imagine the climax of a championship and the last day, climbing the steps of the Hogan booth for Liam MacCarthy or Sam Maguire and no supporters at the stadium. I certainly don’t feel good as a supporter of the game.”
“I can only imagine the players as well, driving through the cities on the way to games, I just don’t see how it would work. I can’t see how it would be positive.”
“It wouldn’t create the excitement we’re used to. We’re going to see the little bits of magic that light up a crowd.”
Whelan agreed: “It would be a difficult and surreal environment for them. We also have to put their health first.”
“The crowd, the buzz, the atmosphere are generally critical to the game. While there may be a novelty factor to some games that could wear out a bit but could shrink and we could compromise on something that might not work.”
“If we got to a stage where we knew there could be no mass meetings, and we’re probably at that stage, maybe we could spend time making the club game work again, if it were in a safe environment again.”
However, McConville believes nothing should be ruled out, given the weird times we live in and the potential benefits of having some live action to make playing without fans worthwhile.
He said, “There would be something different and unique about it. We are in a place where a lot of things happen that we never thought we would see.”
“If it was safe to do it, I would take it at this stage, just because of some form or sense of normality or the feeling that we were returning to a place where we wanted to be.”
“It is not an ideal situation, but right now I would take any crumb of comfort, [even] 10 minutes each way at the Athletic Grounds some night
“A lot of things will change in the next month or two, just don’t take away that hope.
“Surely there is hope that later in the year we can play some kind of soccer, at this stage it’s probably more like a soccer club.”
[ad_2]