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One of the best referees in Gaelic football, David Gough, says that the success of the GAA’s Cúl Camps helped show him that it was safe to resume refereeing again.
Six months after taking over his last game, clubman Slane re-officiated last weekend at Meath SFC.
In June, amid an ever-changing Covid-19 scenario, the referee for the 2019 Ireland senior soccer final chose not to be available for refereeing duties while social distancing was required or until a vaccine was found. .
But following the revelation last weekend that 71,000 children had passed through the Cúl camps with only one positive case of Covid-19 (not directly traced back to a camp), Gough made himself available to cover the games. of minors in Meath.
And a year before last year’s All-Ireland draw final day, Gough once again responded to the call from Meath officials when they contacted him as a late replacement for another match official who was unavailable to face Dunshaughlin. and Kells Meath SFC on Sunday.
Meath umpire manager Frank Gallogly gave Gough time and space to make his decision and said he would respect it anyway. After consulting with her team, the Slane official decided to make herself available to help.
“It was a great decision,” he says.
“I looked at the Cúl Camps numbers and they really were incredible,” Gough told RTÉ Sport.
“A massive success and I also watched as the schools have resumed.
“Based on that, I had contacted the Meath administrators to offer my services for underage games and I took a children’s game on Saturday.
“Everything was in order regarding that game itself and it went well.
“Later, I got a call asking if I would replace a colleague and take a senior game on Sunday and I wasn’t sure. But after consulting with my team of referees and linesmen, we decided to take it.”
These figures are incredible. the @officialgaa I should be delighted with all that @harr_charlie did in preparation for the mid-pandemic Cúl Camps to run successfully and provide welcome play opportunities for GAA children across the country. https://t.co/DpTmpAz9Zp
– David Gough (@ goughd4) Aug 25, 2020
The respected Meath official has a close-knit drive around him on game days with his father Eugene, his brother Stephen, his uncle, Terry and his cousin Dean who have formed his umpiring team since it began many years ago.
Due to blocking and injury, Gough had only officiated in four games in the past 12 months and he and his team were eager to get back into action.
He says he very much enjoyed the decision to resume refereeing duties.
“After talking to my fellow referees over the past few weeks, I had seen and heard about all the hard work they did to make sure everything ran smoothly so that we ourselves would not leave anything to chance when we returned,” he says.
“We completed the questionnaires and return-to-game forms on Saturday night and my team and I drove to the game separately as we came from five different households.”
Gough and his fellow officers arrived together and removed eight individual bags from the trunk of Eugene’s car.
“There were eight different sets of microphones, everyone took their own bag and we connected the cables. There were antiseptic wipes and hand sanitizers and the guys cleaned the referees’ flags before the game.
“The only thing I had to worry about handling was the team sheet and I guess that’s one aspect that can probably be better dealt with if you use a clipboard, sign, take a photo of the sheet and send an email to the county board instead of everyone handling the sheet.
“In the 70 minutes, only one player approached me to challenge a decision and when the game ended there were no shaking hands, we were all very careful and made our own way home.
“As I say, for the last few weeks, I had listened to all my refereeing colleagues and last Sunday I found out that it was feasible.
“But that said we really did everything to the nth grade. We took all the necessary precautions and were totally attentive at all times. We went through without contact from anyone and it was very nice. The thrill of being back in a game was great.”
Having initially expressed great concern about taking games in a pandemic, going back was not a decision that Gough made lightly.
But he notes that much more is known about the virus at this stage.
“I listened to advice from Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn, who stated that GAA fields and games, and what happens on the field are low-risk environments, and I also knew that the disease profile in Meath is quite low, so which helped in reaching a decision. “
For now, you’re not sure what to expect as fall approaches and the prospect of a 2020 inter-county series lives on.
“I don’t know,” Gough says.
“I just made the decision to go back and take kids games at Meath and when the opportunity to take a senior game presented itself, I consulted with everyone before taking it.
“I think I saw for myself that you can safely get through the games in today’s environment. All I know for sure is that it was great to be back after six months away.”
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