GAA Response to Coronavirus

[Taylor]

How many games are left in the league - 2?

Would it not be an idea to run these off as a means of getting up to speed rather than straight into C'ship football?

Assuming we aren't going to burnout players by making them play more than one county fixture a week, that means a minimum of 3 weekends for county football, and a minimum of 4 weekends for half the counties in Ireland.

Basically a month.

Now if you could convince/coerce/force the clubs to play league matches during this time, completely without their county players, well then you might be onto something. I would expect that quite a few clubs - maybe even the majority - would agree to this, so long as there's no promotion or relegation in club leagues.

But then that begs the question - why have competitive leagues at county level in these bizarre times, but not at club level?

The county leagues are already 80% completed though?

Club leagues in most instances are not started.

2 weeks to run off county leagues v 16 weeks for club

[yellowcard]

Strip it down to its most basic. How is a training session going to look for a club team? Will volunteer coaches be keen to oversee these training sessions in an amateur setting, will everybody have to sign a waiver before they return? It will be putting a lot of responsibility onto club officers and volunteers so it will be interesting to see how they administer a safe return to training and games.     

[skeog]

If league games to be played then they should be before championship.

[armaghniac]

I have saw bits floating around today talking about Club Covid Officers and clubs running track and trace! Who in their right mind would sign up to do that in an amateur setting? It seems mad to push that sort of responsibility onto clubs. Some clubs simply wouldn't have the number of volunteers to run things in small groups and signing in and out etc.

If any place wants to open then it has  to make an effort. Why would members not be  willing to record they were there?

[five points]

I have saw bits floating around today talking about Club Covid Officers and clubs running track and trace! Who in their right mind would sign up to do that in an amateur setting? It seems mad to push that sort of responsibility onto clubs. Some clubs simply wouldn't have the number of volunteers to run things in small groups and signing in and out etc.

If any place wants to open then it has  to make an effort. Why would members not be  willing to record they were there?

If you're going for a walk, wouldn't it be safer to go somewhere where you don't have to sign in and out?

[Blowitupref]

How many games are left in the league - 2?

Would it not be an idea to run these off as a means of getting up to speed rather than straight into C'ship football?

Just the two rounds, It would be the sensible thing to do but I don't think theres any need of league finals this year. Teams that top groups should be given the titles.

[Cunny Funt]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/gaelic-games/52928253?at_campaign=64&at_custom1=link&at_custom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7&at_custom4=5D133D7C-A6A2-11EA-94A4-B7BB4744363C&at_custom3=BBC+Sport+NI   

I'd agree with his main point. If and when GAA is back the remaining league games should be played. And it's true for some teams in the lower divisions the league is their championship.

Well I look at it like this.

There is nobody has ever gone to bed dreaming about winning d4 league titles. What a d4 title is, is a a stepping stone / launchpad to something bigger i.e a provincial title, an AI title.

There isn’t going to be enough time to complete the leagues and play a championship. That’s a fact.

Anyone calling for leagues to be completed instead of a championship being played, is basically calling for the stepping stones to be finished, instead of playing the main event.

Will be time if the championship reverts back to the 2000 format of old school knock out, with no qualifiers and no group stage for the last 8. With that format you'll have just one game for a number of teams and that probably includes Antrim. With all the training and preparation County players will want a guarantee of a few competitive matches and finishing the league will achieve that for all counties. And Declan Lynch said if needs be finish the league next January.

[bigarsedkeeper]

I have saw bits floating around today talking about Club Covid Officers and clubs running track and trace! Who in their right mind would sign up to do that in an amateur setting? It seems mad to push that sort of responsibility onto clubs. Some clubs simply wouldn't have the number of volunteers to run things in small groups and signing in and out etc.

If any place wants to open then it has  to make an effort. Why would members not be  willing to record they were there?

I know what you're saying and I'm sure we'll get going but there has to be some sense talked when it comes to the GAA. Some hurling clubs in South Down depend on a handful of people to run everything from underage teams, seniors and committee. There's only so much you can ask of people.

Saying that I'm sure we'll be up and running soon enough and it'll all run 100%

[five points]

How many games are left in the league - 2?

Would it not be an idea to run these off as a means of getting up to speed rather than straight into C'ship football?

Just the two rounds, It would be the sensible thing to do but I don't think theres any need of league finals this year. Teams that top groups should be given the titles.

I don't think it's possible to change the structure of a competition once it has begun. I reckon the leagues will be let lapse.

[thewobbler]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/gaelic-games/52928253?at_campaign=64&at_custom1=link&at_custom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7&at_custom4=5D133D7C-A6A2-11EA-94A4-B7BB4744363C&at_custom3=BBC+Sport+NI   

I'd agree with his main point. If and when GAA is back the remaining league games should be played. And it's true for some teams in the lower divisions the league is their championship.

Well I look at it like this.

There is nobody has ever gone to bed dreaming about winning d4 league titles. What a d4 title is, is a a stepping stone / launchpad to something bigger i.e a provincial title, an AI title.

There isn't going to be enough time to complete the leagues and play a championship. That's a fact.

Anyone calling for leagues to be completed instead of a championship being played, is basically calling for the stepping stones to be finished, instead of playing the main event.

Will be time if the championship reverts back to the 2000 format of old school knock out, with no qualifiers and no group stage for the last 8. With that format you'll have just one game for a number of teams and that probably includes Antrim. With all the training and preparation County players will want a guarantee of a few competitive matches and finishing the league will achieve that for all counties. And Declan Lynch said if needs be finish the league next January.

To repeat my earlier post, this will only work by either collapsing the club season, or by asking/forcing half of all clubs to without their county players for a month (as 16 counties will have games at least 4 weekends in a row).

Alternatively, as you've mooted, they could play these games next January. Except the National League now begins in January. Of course this opens all manner of fingers being crossed in terms of weather/postponements, scheduling and logistics (yes Donegal, you are playing in Kerry next Sunday, I know it's only 7 day's notice, just suck it up), ticketing, coverage and publicity, player welfare and commitment requirements (9 weekends out of 10 on heavy winter pitches, for a secondary competition).

But taking all those risks will be worth it, just to ensure that Antrim's mammoth 5 game campaign of 2020 has a chance to reach an unnatural end.

[Blowitupref]

How many games are left in the league - 2?

Would it not be an idea to run these off as a means of getting up to speed rather than straight into C'ship football?

Just the two rounds, It would be the sensible thing to do but I don't think theres any need of league finals this year. Teams that top groups should be given the titles.

I don't think it's possible to change the structure of a competition once it has begun. I reckon the leagues will be let lapse.

League had to make changes with the foot and mouth.


One of the main things about the leagues is promotion and relegation and I don't see the sense of letting a competition lapse when it's played 5 of its 7 group games already. No need for finals if they can't be fitted in this year would be my view.

[five points]

League had to make changes with the foot and mouth.


One of the main things about the leagues is promotion and relegation and I don't see the sense of letting a competition lapse when it's played 5 of its 7 group games already. No need for finals if they can't be fitted in this year would be my view.

I may be wrong but I'd reckon the rulebook is a good bit tighter than it was 19 years ago.

[APM]

It wouldn't be too hard to play the two rounds behind closed doors, get the job done and move on!

[Blowitupref]

League had to make changes with the foot and mouth.


One of the main things about the leagues is promotion and relegation and I don't see the sense of letting a competition lapse when it's played 5 of its 7 group games already. No need for finals if they can't be fitted in this year would be my view.

I may be wrong but I'd reckon the rulebook is a good bit tighter than it was 19 years ago.

6 months ago few thought we would have to deal with a pandemic and when GAA re-starts changes will be required.

[Cunny Funt]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/gaelic-games/52928253?at_campaign=64&at_custom1=link&at_custom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7&at_custom4=5D133D7C-A6A2-11EA-94A4-B7BB4744363C&at_custom3=BBC+Sport+NI   

I'd agree with his main point. If and when GAA is back the remaining league games should be played. And it's true for some teams in the lower divisions the league is their championship.

Well I look at it like this.

There is nobody has ever gone to bed dreaming about winning d4 league titles. What a d4 title is, is a a stepping stone / launchpad to something bigger i.e a provincial title, an AI title.

There isn’t going to be enough time to complete the leagues and play a championship. That’s a fact.

Anyone calling for leagues to be completed instead of a championship being played, is basically calling for the stepping stones to be finished, instead of playing the main event.

Will be time if the championship reverts back to the 2000 format of old school knock out, with no qualifiers and no group stage for the last 8. With that format you'll have just one game for a number of teams and that probably includes Antrim. With all the training and preparation County players will want a guarantee of a few competitive matches and finishing the league will achieve that for all counties. And Declan Lynch said if needs be finish the league next January.

To repeat my earlier post, this will only work by either collapsing the club season, or by asking/forcing half of all clubs to without their county players for a month (as 16 counties will have games at least 4 weekends in a row).

Alternatively, as you’ve mooted, they could play these games next January. Except the National League now begins in January. Of course this opens all manner of fingers being crossed in terms of weather/postponements, scheduling and logistics (yes Donegal, you are playing in Kerry next Sunday, I know it’s only 7 day’s notice, just suck it up), ticketing, coverage and publicity, player welfare and commitment requirements (9 weekends out of 10 on heavy winter pitches, for a secondary competition).

But taking all those risks will be worth it, just to ensure that Antrim’s mammoth 5 game campaign of 2020 has a chance to reach an unnatural end.

It's two games which would take two weeks to complete. If those two league games aren't played before the championship commences county teams will play a glut of meaningless challenge games.

If it's decided to play the remaining two league games next January then I'm sure teams will know well in advance and to make room for those games the pre season competitions (Mckenna, FBD) can be scrapped for one year