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The Corona Virus And Possible Effects To GAA Matches

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GAA players and supporters were treated like dirt in the North, now they're being treated like dirt all over Ireland.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2289 - 11/02/2021 10:53:51    2331017

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Replying To galwayford:  "This is a bad decision by the Government. OK, so what are the alternatives. Well a league type program in the Summer is the best bet. With a cup competition in the Autumn and winter. It is like they are trying to ban GAA if you ask me. A petty and vindictive government is pumping millions into Rugby and Soccer and leaving the GAA to it's own devices. I hope this is remembered come election time.
Anyway the good news is that this gives the GAA a chance to revamp the League and All Ireland. It is a chance to tackle Dubs dominance too. Finally the Clubs needs some help too."
I can't get the difference between completing the All Ireland championships last Winter, and now. GAA games were an elite sport then, what has changed. Nobody from Government has put forward a convincing explanation for the difference.

In fairness Government support was provided to the association in 2020, to complete the championships, as there was no income from gates due to COVID.

MicktheMiller (Offaly) - Posts: 421 - 11/02/2021 10:54:04    2331018

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Replying To carlovia:  "Can't understand why the government has changed the county teams being elite. Thought the championship ran off very well last year and the matches would provide a good distraction for supporters."
Agree with you there Carlovia.

MicktheMiller (Offaly) - Posts: 421 - 11/02/2021 10:56:26    2331019

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Replying To MicktheMiller:  "I can't get the difference between completing the All Ireland championships last Winter, and now. GAA games were an elite sport then, what has changed. Nobody from Government has put forward a convincing explanation for the difference.

In fairness Government support was provided to the association in 2020, to complete the championships, as there was no income from gates due to COVID."
The GAA wasn't classified as being an elite sport in 2020. The GAA was granted an exemption by the government to play the championships last year and that exemption came to an end after the All Ireland finals. With the various strains going around which are easier to pick up and resulting in more deaths, the GAA would need to put players into a bubble, just like professional sports do in order to complete, just like rugby can afford to do. In fairness to the GAA, do they have the money to go this route? Probably not, with no gate receipts. I think that the GAA will get to play the intercounty championship this year but it will be May-June before there is any action and what effect that has on the club scene is hard to say at this stage, maybe no club championship, who knows. It is frustrating but if you can't protect players and officials and the wider community from the virus then you need to make peoples' health a priority.

wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2094 - 11/02/2021 11:04:51    2331022

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Yes, allowing LOI to go ahead, and not GAA is a bizarre decision. And regarding rugby, if the international squad is allowed draft in new players midweek (as currently happens) doesn't that undermine the "bubble" argument? Surely a new player would have to be quarantined for two weeks before being allowed to join this mythical bubble. I assume provincial rugby players are also living normally with their families between games?
football first (None) - Posts: 1208 - 11/02/2021 10:08:18 Its not bizarre at all and the international squad is drafting players who come from provincial squads and are in bubble there and are being PCR tested just like those in the national squad so the bubble stays.
You wouldnt have to quarantine for 2 weeks at all to maintain the bubble.
Large number of pro rugby players are young enough with no family and leave with each other.
LOI has much smaller number of players and many of these are professional or semi pro and not working full time jobs like a lot of GAA players.

This is a bad decision by the Government. OK, so what are the alternatives. Well a league type program in the Summer is the best bet. With a cup competition in the Autumn and winter. It is like they are trying to ban GAA if you ask me. A petty and vindictive government is pumping millions into Rugby and Soccer and leaving the GAA to it's own devices. I hope this is remembered come election time.
Anyway the good news is that this gives the GAA a chance to revamp the League and All Ireland. It is a chance to tackle Dubs dominance too. Finally the Clubs needs some help too.
galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 1973 - 11/02/2021 10:11:31
Take tin foil hat off if you believe its an attempt to ban GAA. You are deluded.

This govt is influenced by the N.I unionists. They don't like GAA and Varadkar, Martin and Ryan want to impress them. They do play Rugby and Soccer, and so those games are given the go ahead.
galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 1973 - 11/02/2021 10:14:03 hahahahaha what paranoid nonsense

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3746 - 11/02/2021 11:21:44    2331023

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Replying To Saynothing:  "GAA players and supporters were treated like dirt in the North, now they're being treated like dirt all over Ireland."
It's about saving lives mate...thats a ridiculous comment.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11551 - 11/02/2021 11:49:11    2331027

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Replying To Saynothing:  "GAA players and supporters were treated like dirt in the North, now they're being treated like dirt all over Ireland."
wise up, There was more cases in January then all of 2020. Add in new variants from Uk and other countries and, cases averaging at 1 thousand per day.

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2874 - 11/02/2021 12:06:09    2331029

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Replying To yew_tree:  "It's about saving lives mate...thats a ridiculous comment."
You think it's ridiculous, why are so called professional sports allowed? Is that not about saving lives? Businesses closing because of restrictions but let soccer and rugby play on there. All for one but not the other.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2289 - 11/02/2021 13:38:03    2331039

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Replying To Saynothing:  "You think it's ridiculous, why are so called professional sports allowed? Is that not about saving lives? Businesses closing because of restrictions but let soccer and rugby play on there. All for one but not the other."
Professional rugby players dont have to go to any other workplaces/offices etc.
They go from home to their training grounds and to matches for work.

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3746 - 11/02/2021 13:41:38    2331040

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Replying To Saynothing:  "You think it's ridiculous, why are so called professional sports allowed? Is that not about saving lives? Businesses closing because of restrictions but let soccer and rugby play on there. All for one but not the other."
Professional rugby players dont have to go to any other workplaces/offices etc.
They go from home to their training grounds and to matches for work its completely different to players who have other jobs

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3746 - 11/02/2021 13:42:31    2331041

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Think a lot here are losing the run of themselves. Rugby players are professional, are tested regularly, and stay in a bubble. They have no workplace to go back to during the week other than the pitch. This is literally because GAA is so popular. Look at what happened in multiple places last year. Case explosions were directly linked to after games celebration. In my own county, championship winners had pub lock ins, were all drinking from cups etc. and cases exploded in a number of towns that were directly linked to these celebrations. GAA need to take their own medicine here. Other sports did not celebrate like this and cause case loads to go up so much. Had our chance last year but threw it away, a lot of people need to take a long hard look at themselves by their antics.

Loughduff Lad (Cavan) - Posts: 2466 - 11/02/2021 14:00:25    2331044

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Replying To wicklowsupport:  "The GAA wasn't classified as being an elite sport in 2020. The GAA was granted an exemption by the government to play the championships last year and that exemption came to an end after the All Ireland finals. With the various strains going around which are easier to pick up and resulting in more deaths, the GAA would need to put players into a bubble, just like professional sports do in order to complete, just like rugby can afford to do. In fairness to the GAA, do they have the money to go this route? Probably not, with no gate receipts. I think that the GAA will get to play the intercounty championship this year but it will be May-June before there is any action and what effect that has on the club scene is hard to say at this stage, maybe no club championship, who knows. It is frustrating but if you can't protect players and officials and the wider community from the virus then you need to make peoples' health a priority."
What defines elite sport? Rugby at provincial level is professional, LOI soccer is semi professional in most clubs.
Would it be better to scrap the leagues, and concentrate on resuming training in mid to late March, for inter county competition to start in April or May, if cases have reduced to 100-200 per day, or ideally to single figures?

MicktheMiller (Offaly) - Posts: 421 - 11/02/2021 14:06:21    2331046

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Replying To KillingFields:  "Professional rugby players dont have to go to any other workplaces/offices etc.
They go from home to their training grounds and to matches for work its completely different to players who have other jobs"
Are you seriously trying to suggest that all provincial and international rugby players have no interaction with people outside their squad bubbles??

Anyhow, "bubbles" don't tend to be as secure as people would like to believe (plenty of positive cases in rugby, premier league soccer and golf bubbles over the past number of months)

Regarding the LOI, I don't think the majority of clubs are fully professional, so loads of players are interacting with the general public on a daily basis.

football first (None) - Posts: 1259 - 11/02/2021 14:07:00    2331047

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Replying To Loughduff Lad:  "Think a lot here are losing the run of themselves. Rugby players are professional, are tested regularly, and stay in a bubble. They have no workplace to go back to during the week other than the pitch. This is literally because GAA is so popular. Look at what happened in multiple places last year. Case explosions were directly linked to after games celebration. In my own county, championship winners had pub lock ins, were all drinking from cups etc. and cases exploded in a number of towns that were directly linked to these celebrations. GAA need to take their own medicine here. Other sports did not celebrate like this and cause case loads to go up so much. Had our chance last year but threw it away, a lot of people need to take a long hard look at themselves by their antics."
You've nailed it there in that post. 100%.

GAA got an exemption last year and messed it up, and did throughout the country not just Cavan because many winning teams thought their win was so special/historic/important it warranted saying to hell with the rules for 24 hours of disease spreading mayhem.

It's a pity but that's the reality and moreso a pity because the GAA in fairness did some great work as volunteers in local communities in the first lockdown but many lost all sense of responsibility later in the year.

Onion Breath (Carlow) - Posts: 1553 - 11/02/2021 14:33:47    2331050

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Replying To Saynothing:  "You think it's ridiculous, why are so called professional sports allowed? Is that not about saving lives? Businesses closing because of restrictions but let soccer and rugby play on there. All for one but not the other."
You've just been given your argument. Also the GAA is much bigger than LOI in terms of playing numbers, teams, back rooms etc. Much easier for community transmission to explode again.

No need for the tin foil hat.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11551 - 11/02/2021 15:35:08    2331062

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Replying To football first:  "Are you seriously trying to suggest that all provincial and international rugby players have no interaction with people outside their squad bubbles??

Anyhow, "bubbles" don't tend to be as secure as people would like to believe (plenty of positive cases in rugby, premier league soccer and golf bubbles over the past number of months)

Regarding the LOI, I don't think the majority of clubs are fully professional, so loads of players are interacting with the general public on a daily basis."
Not at all.
Your comprehension skills arent very good if you thought that.
They dont have workplaces to go to.
Many of the younger pros live with each other and they go from home to training and thats it.
They also are tested regularly. Its completely different to the GAA.
Yes there has been cases within pro rugby environment but still doesnt mean you should stop the provinces from training/playing
Its basic fact that pro rugby and amateur gaa are completely different.

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3746 - 11/02/2021 15:41:07    2331064

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Might as well blame the GAA for the tens of thousands of Liverpool and Leeds fans that turned up to celebrate league titles last season while your at it. Or the protests outside Celtic and Newcastle/ player parties with 'paid company' while we're told elite sports are safe as houses. That small group at a GAA club match made a bigger impact than their club have in their entire history! Reminds me of the PSNI arresting a mourner laying flowers while standing still and allowing hundreds of loyalists to walk side by side in protest the same week.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2558 - 11/02/2021 15:42:46    2331066

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Replying To SaffronDon:  "Might as well blame the GAA for the tens of thousands of Liverpool and Leeds fans that turned up to celebrate league titles last season while your at it. Or the protests outside Celtic and Newcastle/ player parties with 'paid company' while we're told elite sports are safe as houses. That small group at a GAA club match made a bigger impact than their club have in their entire history! Reminds me of the PSNI arresting a mourner laying flowers while standing still and allowing hundreds of loyalists to walk side by side in protest the same week."
That is so far missing the point that I actually can't believe you made it. It's not just the small group at the match, it's all that goes around it. From going back to their workplaces, to celebrations (which we saw last year in the GAA but not in other sports). And ridiculous to make a comparison with that stupidity from the PSNI on the Ormeau Road...

Loughduff Lad (Cavan) - Posts: 2466 - 11/02/2021 15:57:24    2331071

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Replying To Loughduff Lad:  "That is so far missing the point that I actually can't believe you made it. It's not just the small group at the match, it's all that goes around it. From going back to their workplaces, to celebrations (which we saw last year in the GAA but not in other sports). And ridiculous to make a comparison with that stupidity from the PSNI on the Ormeau Road..."
Perhaps you missed the part where I said tens of thousands of soccer fans did the same thing. Unless your going to tell me they all got weekly testing like the players? It's not ridiculous, same concept. Blame the minority and give the masses a pass. That'll work well in a pandemic!

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2558 - 11/02/2021 16:11:55    2331075

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The blame lies with the government and nphet for yet again their atrocious communication skills and transparency in their messaging. I dont think any reasonable gaa person expected games to resume while we're averaging 1000 cases per day. This levels and criteria nonsense just change with every week and do nothing but create headlines and anxiety. Surely they can set a target of case numbers, transmission rate and other metrics whereby it is safe for certain activities to resume, giving people some clarity rather than these dramatic meaningless announcements

97Cavans (Cavan) - Posts: 405 - 11/02/2021 16:37:09    2331079

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