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Hurling

GAA roadmap: Pitches open by end of June, inter county October at earliest

OTB understands that if GAA returns, it will be with the club matches and that inter county fixtu...



GAA roadmap: Pitches open by e...
Hurling

GAA roadmap: Pitches open by end of June, inter county October at earliest

OTB understands that if GAA returns, it will be with the club matches and that inter county fixtures are not due to return until October at the earliest.

While the GAA may propose dates in the roadmap that is set to be issued either tomorrow or Monday, a return to inter county will come no sooner than October.

Any suggestion that the provincial and All-Ireland club championships would be sacrificed to cater for the return of inter county action are seen as wide of the mark right now, with no conversations having taken place in earnest in the corridors of power.

The roadmap should allow walkways at GAA facilities to open by Monday, with pitches set to open during phase three of the Government's pathway to easing restrictions on society during the pandemic.

So players may be able to gather in small groups from June 29th.

President John Horan has previously said that it will be a 'big hurdle' for any form of contact sport to return while social distancing at two metres remains in place.

A study by County Down based company STAT Sports found that Gaelic Football players only spend 2.5 seconds within two metres during matches. There are 17 'incursions' per minute.

STAT Sports assisted the Premier League with their plans around 'Project Restart', which is coming to fruition on June 17th, with matches played behind closed doors.

One thing the Premier League have in their arsenal is money, and as a result of that, testing for COVID-19.

It's hard to see how a GAA calendar could resume without testing or a significant ease in Government regulations when it comes to social distancing.

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