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GAA weigh up options as ban on mass gatherings extended

Published

6 years ago

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The GAA may be forced to stage this summer’s senior intercounty football and hurling championships behind closed doors after the government confirmed on Tuesday that mass gatherings of over 5,000 people will not be permitted until September at the earliest.

The Association’s blue riband competitions were due to kick off at the beginning of May but those initial start dates have already been pushed back to July. This year’s All-Ireland football final, the game’s showpiece event which traditionally brings the curtain down on the GAA’s intercounty calendar, is currently scheduled for August 30, just before the current suspension of mass gatherings is slated to end.

Club activities are currently on hold until May 5 and while it is generally accepted that the club game will more than likely return before county, clubs are preparing for the possibility that the suspension could be extended further into the summer months.

OPTIONS

Speaking to Thomas Niblock of the BBC on Tuesday, the GAA's communications director Alan Milton acknowledged that the association was considering the behind-closed-doors option.

"We have never envisaged a scenario where we would try and play our games without people in attendance. It defies logic and goes against the grain for so many people who volunteer for the GAA.

"Having said that, if we get to a scenario later in the year, where there are two choices on the table where one is a championship with no people and the other one is no championship, I think that would frame a very different conversation and a different narrative."

Those remarks came just hours before the latest government guidelines on mass gatherings came to light. It now appears as though Milton and the GAA’s hypothetical Catch-22 has become a reality.

DOUBTS

Kerry and Dr Crokes legend Colm Cooper is one of a number of prominent GAA personalities to have expressed doubts about staging major championship matches without supporters.

“It's not for me,” Gooch said on RTÉ Radio 1 earlier this week.

"The essence of the GAA is people going to Thurles, Clones, Castlebar, Killarney, making their way down Jones' Road in Dublin. That's what makes the GAA, the atmosphere. At the moment we should be smelling the freshly cut grass, getting ready for championship. It's not sitting well with all of us, but I can't see how a successful GAA championship would go ahead behind closed doors.

"Can you imagine the climax of a championship and on final day, climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand for Liam MacCarthy or Sam Maguire and no supporters in the stadium? It certainly doesn't sit well with me as a supporter of the game.

"I can only imagine the players as well, driving through towns on the way to matches – I just don't see how it would work. I can't see how it would be a positive.”

A poll carried out by RTÉ indicated that 41% of the general public would be in favour of playing games behind closed doors. The remaining 59% think that this year’s championships should be called cancelled entirely.

Meanwhile, former GAA president Seán Kelly has urged administrators not to “throw in the towel” on the 2020 season just yet.

“We are only in the middle of April so why would you say you won't play a championship this year,” the Fine Gael MEP told the Irish Examiner. “You'll find, looking at other countries, there'll be quick changes, there'll be a return to normality, maybe, quicker than people think.”

 

Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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2 months ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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2 months ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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