PETER MCKENNA, COMMERCIAL director of the GAA, today outlined some of the possibilities for allowing crowds to attend this year’s All-Ireland Championships.
A behind-closed-doors Championship is, of course, a possibility if measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 need to be ramped back up. However, McKenna calls that the ‘least preferential’ outcome and hopes that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) could clear stadia to approach 40% capacity if all goes well ahead of the scheduled October start.
“We are prepared for them to start again. Obviously the 200 limit is still continuing and that would make a huge challenge but I’d be hopeful that we are responding very well as a nation,” McKenna said on RTE Radio 1′s Today show.
I think once you start to unravel the restrictions you will see slightly bigger crowds within the stadium. At two metres distancing we are probably at around 7,000 capacity within the stadium. That is very, very small really.
“At one metre we are probably at around 22,000 and if we are allowed a degree of brush off – by which I mean people walking by each other in the same row – we could probably get up to 28,000.
“You’d be hopeful that come October we might be allowed 30% or 40% capacity in the stadium. But it is very much dependent on where NPHET see our progress as a nation.”
While the marquee fixtures in gaelic games are aiming for October, the game’s grassroots competitions are fast approaching and yesterday’s move to halt progression into Stage 4 of reopening extends a 200-person limit on outdoor gatherings.
Mid Tipperary CCC last night became one of the first bodies to attempt to close doors to some fixtures, moving to ‘recommend’ supporters to stay away from Minor A and B hurling championship fixtures taking place before 9 August.
“Covid-19 has brought many challenges to our country, our county and to our communities and we have to try to make the right decisions. Not just in terms of sport, but in everything we now do,” said the statement.
“If we work together and make the right choice we can all play our part in getting back to as near normal life as possible.”
The statement added that it understands the compulsion of supporters wanting to cheer their team on and also invited clubs to apply to the CCC to broadcast match footage via social media platforms.
- Originally published at 16.07
