Safe Return for Gaelic Games

[armaghniac]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

I'm not sure what the GAA centrally can  do. They cannot dole out money as they have no money coming in, they can't send out a load of cleaners, they can  only provide advice. If local clubs don't want Covid in their community then they just need to get on with it and make it clear to people that vigilance is needed in the times that are in it.

[thewobbler]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

Questions Itchy

What response would you have preferred to see from the GAA? Ultimately they will be gatherings that could facilitate the spread of Covid-19. So I think their choices are 1. Cancel everything, or 2. Put in place stringent measures that minimises the potential for spread, and also enables track and trace in event of Covid being detected among a participant. I don't think there is a number 3 tbh.

Why did you mention money? What financial undertaking is required here? The purchase of a thermometer and several litres of sanitizer? This is going to be a costly exercise in terms of time. But not financially.

[Itchy]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

I'm not sure what the GAA centrally can  do. They cannot dole out money as they have no money coming in, they can't send out a load of cleaners, they can  only provide advice. If local clubs don't want Covid in their community then they just need to get on with it and make it clear to people that vigilance is needed in the times that are in it.

Their advice is to do a load of stuff that most companies are not even doing and asking amateur volunteers to document it which makes them fully accountable for it. What they could have and should have done was to issue some advisory notices to say stuff such as

1- Follow all government recommendations as published on HSE website
2- Until date X social distancing should be followed at training and small groups used (of 15 same as government recommendations)
3- All people entering and leaving the ground such wash their hands with soap and water.
4- Ask parents and players not to attend training if they feel in anyway unwell.
5- Recommend every club assign "1" Covid officer to "oversee" the clubs roll out of the above

They should then have provided the clubs with poster graphics that they could print off and a youtube video that a link could be sent to all members to ask people to attend.

All that could have been communicated to clubs in a 2/3 page document. In addition there are tonnes of GAA people out there like myself that have worked in factories/businesses all the way through this pandemic that could have told them this.

[thewobbler]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

I'm not sure what the GAA centrally can  do. They cannot dole out money as they have no money coming in, they can't send out a load of cleaners, they can  only provide advice. If local clubs don't want Covid in their community then they just need to get on with it and make it clear to people that vigilance is needed in the times that are in it.

Their advice is to do a load of stuff that most companies are not even doing and asking amateur volunteers to document it which makes them fully accountable for it. What they could have and should have done was to issue some advisory notices to say stuff such as

1- Follow all government recommendations as published on HSE website
2- Until date X social distancing should be followed at training and small groups used (of 15 same as government recommendations)
3- All people entering and leaving the ground such wash their hands with soap and water.
4- Ask parents and players not to attend training if they feel in anyway unwell.
5- Recommend every club assign "1" Covid officer to "oversee" the clubs roll out of the above

They should then have provided the clubs with poster graphics that they could print off and a youtube video that a link could be sent to all members to ask people to attend.

All that could have been communicated to clubs in a 2/3 page document. In addition there are tonnes of GAA people out there like myself that have worked in factories/businesses all the way through this pandemic that could have told them this.

You go to work, you're easily traceable.

You go to a normal GAA Sunday morning where there's 100+ kids training over a couple of hours, and 50+ parents wandering about, along with various other locals. One of those parents falls ill a couple of weeks later. How do you go about tracing that?

[Itchy]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

Questions Itchy

What response would you have preferred to see from the GAA? Ultimately they will be gatherings that could facilitate the spread of Covid-19. So I think their choices are 1. Cancel everything, or 2. Put in place stringent measures that minimises the potential for spread, and also enables track and trace in event of Covid being detected among a participant. I don't think there is a number 3 tbh.

Why did you mention money? What financial undertaking is required here? The purchase of a thermometer and several litres of sanitizer? This is going to be a costly exercise in terms of time. But not financially.

Wobbler - when you go down to the local Tesco or Dunnes to go shopping did the security guard at the door ask you for your temperature and log it in a book, insist on you doing a online course before you enter the shop or did someone in the shop sterilise everything you touched after you left?

If I ran the GAA, I think I would have waited another month at least until I saw that cases and deaths in the country were zero before doing anything. But if we are deciding that we are going to start up again then we need to not make it so that volunteers at club level are accountable for a whole raft of idiotic requests that they could not possibly police.

[Itchy]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

I'm not sure what the GAA centrally can  do. They cannot dole out money as they have no money coming in, they can't send out a load of cleaners, they can  only provide advice. If local clubs don't want Covid in their community then they just need to get on with it and make it clear to people that vigilance is needed in the times that are in it.

Their advice is to do a load of stuff that most companies are not even doing and asking amateur volunteers to document it which makes them fully accountable for it. What they could have and should have done was to issue some advisory notices to say stuff such as

1- Follow all government recommendations as published on HSE website
2- Until date X social distancing should be followed at training and small groups used (of 15 same as government recommendations)
3- All people entering and leaving the ground such wash their hands with soap and water.
4- Ask parents and players not to attend training if they feel in anyway unwell.
5- Recommend every club assign "1" Covid officer to "oversee" the clubs roll out of the above

They should then have provided the clubs with poster graphics that they could print off and a youtube video that a link could be sent to all members to ask people to attend.

All that could have been communicated to clubs in a 2/3 page document. In addition there are tonnes of GAA people out there like myself that have worked in factories/businesses all the way through this pandemic that could have told them this.

You go to work, you're easily traceable.

You go to a normal GAA Sunday morning where there's 100+ kids training over a couple of hours, and 50+ parents wandering about, along with various other locals. One of those parents falls ill a couple of weeks later. How do you go about tracing that?

Not our problem. Every parent knows about social distancing unless they have their heads up their holes. The GAA cannot be responsible for people not adhering to government guidelines. We can put up signs, encourage people etc but we should not be doing contact tracing. The very angle you are coming at this shows how dangerous this 15 page document could be as you somehow think the GAA take the lead here.

By the way, the guidelines I proposed said 15 in a group training, not 100s, as per latest government guidelines.

oh and by the way, contact tracing is actually owned by the HSE not by the places people work. Although in reality they have not done it.

[thewobbler]

If truth be told, I think forcing parents/players to sign a pro forma questionnaire before every session is little more than an exercise in killing unfortunate trees, as a) if someone is now feeling unwell, the chances are they've been spreading for weeks, and b) nobody in the history of the world has ever read the questions or thought about the answers on a pro forma document, after they've completed it a couple of to times.

But the rest of it I'm finding difficult to argue with. I don't like it. But I can see the merits.

[Farrandeelin]

What date is the official return to training? I don't envy the dual clubs trying to sort out schedules etc.

[thewobbler]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

I'm not sure what the GAA centrally can  do. They cannot dole out money as they have no money coming in, they can't send out a load of cleaners, they can  only provide advice. If local clubs don't want Covid in their community then they just need to get on with it and make it clear to people that vigilance is needed in the times that are in it.

Their advice is to do a load of stuff that most companies are not even doing and asking amateur volunteers to document it which makes them fully accountable for it. What they could have and should have done was to issue some advisory notices to say stuff such as

1- Follow all government recommendations as published on HSE website
2- Until date X social distancing should be followed at training and small groups used (of 15 same as government recommendations)
3- All people entering and leaving the ground such wash their hands with soap and water.
4- Ask parents and players not to attend training if they feel in anyway unwell.
5- Recommend every club assign "1" Covid officer to "oversee" the clubs roll out of the above

They should then have provided the clubs with poster graphics that they could print off and a youtube video that a link could be sent to all members to ask people to attend.

All that could have been communicated to clubs in a 2/3 page document. In addition there are tonnes of GAA people out there like myself that have worked in factories/businesses all the way through this pandemic that could have told them this.

You go to work, you're easily traceable.

You go to a normal GAA Sunday morning where there's 100+ kids training over a couple of hours, and 50+ parents wandering about, along with various other locals. One of those parents falls ill a couple of weeks later. How do you go about tracing that?

Not our problem. Every parent knows about social distancing unless they have their heads up their holes. The GAA cannot be responsible for people not adhering to government guidelines. We can put up signs, encourage people etc but we should not be doing contact tracing. The very angle you are coming at this shows how dangerous this 15 page document could be as you somehow think the GAA take the lead here.

By the way, the guidelines I proposed said 15 in a group training, not 100s, as per latest government guidelines.

oh and by the way, contact tracing is actually owned by the HSE not by the places people work. Although in reality they have not done it.

The first question from the authorities would be along the lines of "can you list everywhere you've been and you've been in contact with for the past 14 days".

Given that, I don't really see how the GAA can around requiring a roll call tbh.


——

Re 15 people / 100 people.

If the GAA does not go over the top, then we as people will return immediately to the old ways. Tens of thousands of people marching in London last week is all the proof you need that people will do whatever the hell they like, unless rules are in place.

[johnnycool]

It really is a massive ask for clubs and will cost a few Bob, but it needs done. Our 4 codes are meeting to gather ideas and report to senior committee, probably exactly the same as 100s of clubs. 20 a pitch, but if a session is  6 to 7 the next one can't start at 7 as the first group must clear and the new group cannot be waiting to get on. Massive ask to get all teams in all codes to train and play.

Will we get league games?

You're Down Sqaure Ball, aren't you?

Well hurling wise you're clubmate and former contributor on here has informed all Down hurling referees to prepare themselves for the very end of July and they'll be refereeing as many games as possible, so I'm expecting a league of sorts, either one way or partitioned into sub leagues based on regions, but nothing concrete as yet.

Get yer IR thermometers orders in

I am indeed Down. Lol, I wonder who you mean🤔😄. I believe we have our IR yokes ordered, gonna need gallons and gallons of disinfectant and hand sanitizer as well.

I'll get you a good deal from Echlinville distillery, owned by a Ballygalget man...

So good you can drink it.


Someone mentioned door handles, changing rooms, toilets etc etc are still out of bounds AFAIK so you arrive kitted up and you go home to shower and the likes.

That be normal for you cultchies

Luckily I lived in Belfast every time we played at your place as it would have been more hygienic to stand under a cow pishing as to use the showers in your place.

[Itchy]

The GAA document is 15 pages long. It asks for a a Covid admin person for each group - U6, U8, U10 ...Seniors. It wants a log of everyone who attends training showing that they measured their temperature before they arrive at training (no way to check they did this so its just ass covering). It wants the coaches to sterilise all equipment, balls, cones flags etc after every session (does that mean kids cant kick the ball from one to the other?) They want door handles wiped down after every session. They want every parent of a child to go on line and do a course. Thats some of the highlights.

This is the GAA response and its a total deflection onto parents and coaches and away from themselves. No financial help has been offered either. A very poor response, I hope in light of Varadkars announcement last week that it is re considered.

I'm not sure what the GAA centrally can  do. They cannot dole out money as they have no money coming in, they can't send out a load of cleaners, they can  only provide advice. If local clubs don't want Covid in their community then they just need to get on with it and make it clear to people that vigilance is needed in the times that are in it.

Their advice is to do a load of stuff that most companies are not even doing and asking amateur volunteers to document it which makes them fully accountable for it. What they could have and should have done was to issue some advisory notices to say stuff such as

1- Follow all government recommendations as published on HSE website
2- Until date X social distancing should be followed at training and small groups used (of 15 same as government recommendations)
3- All people entering and leaving the ground such wash their hands with soap and water.
4- Ask parents and players not to attend training if they feel in anyway unwell.
5- Recommend every club assign "1" Covid officer to "oversee" the clubs roll out of the above

They should then have provided the clubs with poster graphics that they could print off and a youtube video that a link could be sent to all members to ask people to attend.

All that could have been communicated to clubs in a 2/3 page document. In addition there are tonnes of GAA people out there like myself that have worked in factories/businesses all the way through this pandemic that could have told them this.

You go to work, you're easily traceable.

You go to a normal GAA Sunday morning where there's 100+ kids training over a couple of hours, and 50+ parents wandering about, along with various other locals. One of those parents falls ill a couple of weeks later. How do you go about tracing that?

Not our problem. Every parent knows about social distancing unless they have their heads up their holes. The GAA cannot be responsible for people not adhering to government guidelines. We can put up signs, encourage people etc but we should not be doing contact tracing. The very angle you are coming at this shows how dangerous this 15 page document could be as you somehow think the GAA take the lead here.

By the way, the guidelines I proposed said 15 in a group training, not 100s, as per latest government guidelines.

oh and by the way, contact tracing is actually owned by the HSE not by the places people work. Although in reality they have not done it.

The first question from the authorities would be along the lines of "can you list everywhere you've been and you've been in contact with for the past 14 days".

Given that, I don't really see how the GAA can around requiring a roll call tbh.


——

Re 15 people / 100 people.

If the GAA does not go over the top, then we as people will return immediately to the old ways. Tens of thousands of people marching in London last week is all the proof you need that people will do whatever the hell they like, unless rules are in place.

No Wobbler, the first question from the Authorities is "can you list your close contacts" defined as being withing 2m, face to face for a period of time >15 minutes. That question is asked of the individual, not the club, not the place the work, not the shop you shopped in. Keeping your list of close contacts to a minimum is the responsibility of every individual in the country and not the reponsibility of companies, clubs or business places. If someone in my place or work gets sick, we have no idea who they may or may not have been in close contact with in the canteen, toilets, car park etc, only the effected person can tell us that.

You call them rules. Rules mean there are consequences to breaking them. How does the GAA uphold rules, we cant issue red cards to parents or kids for not social distancing? I say you call them guidelines and recommendations. Everyone knows why you do them and why we need to do them.

[thewobbler]

Itchy,

Rules, whatever you want to call them.

The lockdown was largely a success because the population in general bought into the sense of "we are in this together".

Once (in the UK) there became a hierarchical system depending on what you do for living, and how much you like to accept or test the rules, the lockdown pretty much went out the window. Monkey see, monkey do.

What the GAA is attempting to do here is to place a countrywide code of conduct on its clubs and membership. They will have been required to do something along these lines by the Irish Govt, as is every sporting body looking to return to action.

You might think it's OTT. But if you leave room for interpretation, the number of clubs with a very liberal interpretation will increase exponentially during July. At which point we might as well have dived straight into competitive action in front of crowds.

[downjim]

Will club bars be allowed to open if we get the go ahead in the north or will they have to wait to august 10?
Bars are a massive source of income to clubs

[City Dweller]

If truth be told, I think forcing parents/players to sign a pro forma questionnaire before every session is little more than an exercise in killing unfortunate trees, as a) if someone is now feeling unwell, the chances are they've been spreading for weeks, and b) nobody in the history of the world has ever read the questions or thought about the answers on a pro forma document, after they've completed it a couple of to times.

But the rest of it I'm finding difficult to argue with. I don't like it. But I can see the merits.

Signing in every session is the bit I don't get. Sharing pen? Surely the pro forma should only be signed once?

I get the temperature check piece, you can control that with one person doing that and filling in temperature with no contact with player.

[five points]

Wobbler - when you go down to the local Tesco or Dunnes to go shopping did the security guard at the door ask you for your temperature and log it in a book, insist on you doing a online course before you enter the shop or did someone in the shop sterilise everything you touched after you left?

The compulsory online courses bit of the GAA regulations is the one that will annoy most club people. It smacks of the safe driving courses and anger management courses that convicted dangerous drivers and domestic violence perps are sent on for punishment.