Speaking on RTE 1 radio earlier today, GAA President John Horan admitted that the 2020 intercounty championships could run into the new year due to the current epidemic.
Addressing the possibility, Horan said, “We’re open to that if that’s a possibility. We’d just adjust the 2021 season. I think there’s a hunger and an appetite out there among both players and spectators to see the games being played.
“I think people would accept that if we were to make such a decision that it would be to the benefit of everyone involved.
“We’re going to act totally responsibly. Social distancing of two metres is a high priority at the moment, I can’t see contact sport coming on board in the short term.
“We’re an amateur sport. I know there’s a lot of speculation that professional sports like rugby and soccer may come back here in Ireland and overseas, but that’s probably in the sense that they’ve cocooned their players.
“Our amateur athletes, they go back to their families, they go back to their work place. We can’t put any of those people, or those people they come in contact with, at risk just for the sake of playing games. We won’t be making any rushed decision on this.
“If and when we do return, the club scene will be our priority because 98% of our activity happens at club level. As we’re looking at it at the moment, our return initially will be back to club activity before we engage in the inter-county playing.”
Horan also dismissed the speculation that players will return to training in the next few weeks but did admit that the club scene will be the first to return once it is safe to do so.
“I’m quite shocked by this story, this was very much a nothing story over the weekend and to be honest with you, somewhat irresponsible,” Horan said.
“It caused a nervousness among membership throughout the country: ‘are we as an organisation putting the inter-county player ahead the club player?’.
“We’re regularly in contact with government departments and at no stage have we discussed the return to training of inter-county players with any government department. I’m kind of aghast at where this story has come from.”
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