Waterford GAA cancels match amid NI travel concern

The Waterford county board said it felt obliged to respect its players' health and welfare concerns

An Antrim GAA football match has been called off after some Waterford players were told by their employers they would have to self-isolate for 14 days if they travelled to Northern Ireland.

Employers' concerns were among the reasons listed by the Waterford county board for its decision to concede their match against Antrim on Saturday.

The teams were due to play an Allianz Football League match in Portglenone.

Some players also expressed personal concerns over travelling to NI.

There is no legal requirement to isolate for 14 days when crossing the Irish border but people in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been advised against taking unnecessary journeys.

In a statement, the Waterford county board said it had not taken the decision lightly, but added: "At the end of the day, our players come first."

It added that its management team "felt obliged to respect their health and welfare concerns in not wanting to have to travel to Antrim this Saturday".

Travel restrictions

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is an all-Ireland sports organisation which has to take account of different Covid-19 rules on each side of the Irish border.

At midnight on Wednesday, a second nationwide lockdown came into force in the Republic of Ireland, with the government imposing its highest level of travel restrictions.

The Irish public have been told not to travel beyond a 5km (3 mile) limit from their homes, but there are exemptions for essential work and essential purposes.

There were tailbacks on the Belfast to Dublin motorway on Thursday when Gardaí (Irish police) started a major policing operation at the border to enforce the coronavirus travel restrictions.

North of the border, schools are in the middle of a two-week shutdown after Northern Ireland recorded some of the highest rates of Covid-19 infections in the UK per 100,000 people.

The GAA has restricted most of its activities in response to Covid concerns but senior inter-county games have continued.

The Waterford county board set out the reasons for its decision to concede its final Division 4 match in Portglenone in a statement on social media.

It said a number of players had withdrawn their availability due to personal family circumstances and "concerns and reservations within the playing group of travelling to the Belfast area".

"Further, the reservations of spending a night in a hotel, coupled with the risk associated with the general exposure relating to the 24-hour period."

The board's statement added that employers of several players and members of the team management had stipulated that "a 14-day isolation period would be required on returning from Northern Ireland".

Waterford added that its team was prepared to play the match against Antrim "at a neutral venue in the Republic".

The team suggested an alternative location closer to Dublin but said Antrim was "not able to accede to this request".

'Every intention of fulfilling all fixtures'

On Tuesday, it was confirmed a player in the Antrim senior hurling squad was self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19.

He was in the panel which travelled to Tullamore over the weekend, where Antrim beat Kerry to secure promotion to Division 1B, and the rest of the squad have been tested as a precaution.

In a statement to BBC News NI, Antrim GAA's public relations officer Sean Kelly said that if Saturday's situation had been in reverse, their team "would have fulfilled" the Division 4 fixture and travelled to Waterford.

He added that Antrim GAA had also offered Waterford a change of venue, suggesting the match could take place in Belfast rather than Portglenone.

"Antrim footballers recently travelled to Wicklow and the hurlers travelled to Offaly," Mr Kelly said.

"Antrim also have upcoming games in Carlow and Meath and we have every intention of fulfilling all fixtures in the GAA calendar in the Joe McDonagh Cup.

"We look forward to welcoming Westmeath hurlers to Corrigan Park, Belfast on Sunday."