GAA's Covid-19 road map has club action returning on 31 July with an inter-county resumption on 17 October

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Media caption,

McGeehan outlines GAA's return in Ulster

The GAA's road map out of the Covid-19 crisis says inter-county action will resume on 17 October with club fixtures restarting on 31 July.

A 15-page document speaks merely of "inter-county" action not resuming sooner than the October date but this is referring to the championship.

Inter-county squads will be permitted to train from 14 September.

That will be in the fifth and final stage of the Irish Government's plan to emerge from Covid-19.

The club season - which will be restricted to counties - is scheduled to finish on Sunday 11 October before inter-county action resumes the following weekend.

The timeline suggests that the GAA are going to find it extremely difficulty to conclude the leagues in addition to the inter-county championships although further discussions on this are expected to take place over the coming weeks.

Needless to say, all the plans are predicated on the current progress in the fight against coronavirus being maintained.

There is no specific mention in the document on what spectator numbers - if any - will be allowed to attend the inter-county games which start of 17 October but in a later media briefing, GAA bosses made their clear preference to avoid a behind closed doors scenario.

The document says that further information on crowd numbers will be provided before the Irish Government's Phase Four kicks in, which is scheduled to be 20 July.

As expected, club players, both underage and adult, will be allowed to take part in non-contact training in small groups of 10 or less from 29 June, which is the beginning of Phase Three in the Irish Government's blueprint.

Club players will only be allowed to resume full contact training until further notice or when the GAA advises it is moving on to the Phase Four date, which at the moment, is scheduled for 20 July.

While club competitions, in all grades, are earmarked to resume on 31 July, club premises, including dressing-rooms and social areas are not scheduled to reopen until Phase Five from 10 August. The exception to this will be sanitized toilet facilities which will be open at clubs from 29 June.

Image source, Inpho
Image caption,

All GAA activity has been suspended since 12 March

Players must travel to venues in match gear

Prior to early August, club players will be expected to travel to games in their match gear and to return home immediately afterwards.

Players, and parents of underage participants, will have to fill out health questionnaires before each club training session and game which will have to be given to Covid Supervisors who must be appointed by each club.

There will also be a requirement on all players and their guardians to undertake an online education module which will have all the necessary information the regulations to combat Covid-19.

Players must also undertake temperature checks before training seessions or games, with the document adding that a reading above 37.5 centigrade "precludes attendance" with the advice that a GP should immediately be contacted by telephone.

The document does not refer to the delayed inter-county hurling and championships being played on a straight knockout basis but this remains the understanding.

GAA officials also indicated on Friday that counties will have the power to decide on the format for their championships as long as the action is concluded by 11 October.

Stephen McGeehan, Ulster GAA Head of Operations, said he would understand hesitancy from some for a return to action.

"The first thing is to be empathetic towards their situation - we are an amateur organisation so the key word is choice," he said.

"People may be reluctant in the beginning but I would hope that as the weeks and months progress, and hopefully with the 'R' values and death toll, which has begun to come down in the last four or five weeks, that people will become more confident.

"But I totally understand in the early stages there will be some nervousness and we will do our best to provide guidance and advice to people in those circumstances. "

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