Ask The Players: What affect will the pandemic have on schools football?

What effect will the pandemic have on schools football?

School pupils have returned across Ulster and are facing up to a new school year while at the same time handling the restrictions of the pandemic. What we wanted to know is how schools sports will be affected over the next year?

Kevin Brady

How will the coronavirus affect schools GAA?

It seems that Ulster Schools still intend to run their competitions (at least some of them) so the intention is to prepare teams for this. However, things have obviously changed and a lot will depend on the principals of individual schools as to the decisions being made around extra-curricular sport. Insurance seems to be a problem in some schools but not others. Afterschool trainings/matches and matches at weekends possibly to reduce time pupils spend out of class are being suggested, but who knows? Do schools need to get their pupils to fill out the official GAA health ‘covid return to play’ every time there is training or match? Who oversees this and checks up? How is it set up within schools? Lots more admin!!

What effect has the Coronavirus had on the schools GAA so far this year?

In our school nothing has started yet. There have been no afterschool or indeed lunchtime trainings and normally at this time of the year we would be up and running with MacRory trials etc. Our principal has indicated that he wants no afterschool training in September just to we see how things go. We’ll evaluate the situation again next week. The MacRory is supposed to start after Halloween but we are awaiting further direction from Ulster schools. It is hoped the MacRory and Mageean (and respective ‘B’ and ‘C’ etc competitions) in these as well as the Rannafast can be run off in Term 1 as usual.

Some other schools may be already up and running but I think very few.

What effect will the coronavirus pandemic/lockdown have on the action in the year ahead?

It’s hard to know for certain. Some competitions may be sacrificed and not run at all. They are still intending on playing some other outstanding competitions like the Oisin McGrath (Yr 11 ‘A’ Football) final between ourselves and St. Colman’s and they will hopefully go ahead in October.

Then the plan is to proceed with the other competitions and see how it goes.

What is the short-term knock-on effect of this pandemic on Schools GAA?

At the minute there is definitely not the appetite there normally would be. A few pupils are asking but not as many as usual eg. ‘When MacRory trials Sir?’

Will there be a long term effect?

Let’s hope not and that things can return to near normal ASAP

Paul Hughes St Patrick’s Maghera

How will the coronavirus affect schools GAA?

Resilience is key in all aspects of sport and it would be a shame if the pandemic was to be used as an opportunity to undermine schools GAA and the efforts which so many teachers voluntarily put in to the promotion of GAA from primary school through to senior school age.

What effect has the Coronavirus had on the schools GAA so far this year?

It will limit participation especially in the pre-Christmas term as schools need to attend to Health and Welfare of pupils as a priority rather than participation. It is strange for pupils who see GAA being played in clubs but not in school – hence the need to understand schools as subject to EA/Dept of Educ rules rather than GAA.

What effect will the coronavirus pandemic/lockdown have on the action in the year ahead?

The danger is that we try to fit both senior school football and hurling from Year 12 in to the Spring term when clubs are starting up and inter county squads are also preparing for provincial league campaigns. Players are then caught between club u-16/18, schools for Year 12 and Senior football, and County u-16/17 squads. That’s a nightmare situation for players and coaches and a recipe for injuries, burnout, loss of players to certain teams. In this situation schools will most likely suffer most and we finish with a watered down version of our school games.

An added danger from this is that school staff then become less enthused by the battles for availability of players and the need to perhaps play without some players who have been regular school players up through the years. Were this to happen then the actual availability of coaches becomes an obvious problem. This may even become a problem as school coaches have so many other things going on with online preps, marking and delivery of learning which is so time consuming; add in possible health or family health concerns and coaching staff may become an issue for schools.

Another danger is that the season becoming compressed is the desire from central level to cut down the time allocated to school competitions. This is a big drive which appears to be coming from Croke Park. Schools may work hard to get their competitions played in the tighter time frame but then find the rug pulled from them as CP can then say ‘you only needed so much time to play that, we can make that compressed timeframe part of the new calendar’. It would be a shame for school sport to be disadvantaged because of the pandemic.

What is the short term knock on effect of this pandemic on Schools GAA?

Short term it means that pupils are not getting access to some of the early younger age group comps while the likes of the Rannafast for Year 12 boys is a huge miss for the early profile of GAA in the schools. Hurling also suffers from the loss of the decent early autumn weather when pitches and conditions are still favourable for playing in – Mageean for example loses that early season high point for schools as the comp had become well established in that first term and was enjoying a distinct profile for players, spectators and media.

Will there be a long term effect?

We need everyone to recognise the exceptional circumastances and times we are living through and need also for all stake holders to work together to allow the pupils/players get as many opportunities as they can with school friends, club mates and inter county panels. This is not a time for hasty decisions nor for decisions which could be detrimental to the programme of GAA which players of school age can enjoy. ‘Pupil voice’ is a big thing in schools and were it employed with pupils I know many of them would place real value on the time, bonds, friendships and experiences which they gather through their school sporting careers.

Jody Gormley Abbey CBS

How will the coronavirus affect schools GAA?

Competitions which would normally have been scheduled for the first term have been put on hold until after Halloween.

In normal times preparation for Corn na nOg, Rannafast and Mac Rory cups would be in full swing. First years would be on the pitches every evening. The school would be buzzing in anticipation of squads being selected and teams picked.This term the pitches have been ghostly quiet.

What effect has the coronavirus had on the schools GAA so far this year?

It’s difficult to know if school football will take place this academic year. With the rising number of coronavirus cases the priority must be personal and public health and well being. The sincere hope is that competitions will take place however there are many obstacles to be overcome, not least of all the question of transportation to matches.

What effect will the coronavirus pandemic/lockdown have on the action in the year ahead?

Undoubtedly the pandemic has had a major impact on schools GAA. The 2019/20 Mac Rory and Mc Larnon Cup finals remain to be played. It is difficult to see how this can be facilitated in the current circumstances. Fortunately most underage competitions within the counties have been completed so children did have the opportunity to play and compete. At one stage this was looking like a pipe dream.

What is the short term knock on effect of this pandemic on Schools GAA?

In the short term it is disappointing that we are not looking forward with certainty to the various Colleges competitions. However we remain hopeful that with common sense and careful planning we will be back on the pitches safely before long.

Will there be a long term effect?

The longer term implications will be determined by the continuing impact of this pandemic. Everyone is fully aware of the gravity of the situation and whilst we want to return to normality as quickly as possible we must also use common sense in our return to schools football. There may well be a situation where all competitions are played on Saturdays, with parents responsible for transporting their children to and from matches. Of course this increases the time commitment for both teachers and parents and may not always be possible.

David Wilson St Ronan’s Lurgan

How will the coronavirus affect schools GAA?

It remains to be seen. I suppose if there is an appetite for games and if there is a safe way for it to happen for pupils, teachers and families then it would be great to see. We would definitely be interested in some sort of games in a safe environment.

What effect has the Coronavirus had on the schools GAA so far this year?

It disrupted last year’s competitions which were unable to conclude and blitzes at the end of the year were unable to run. I believe schools football is a big part of the development of a pupil both in terms of their GAA skills but also their overall development as young people.

What effect will the coronavirus pandemic/lockdown have on the action in the year ahead?

For us, training will be a massive issue as we do not have a school pitch and rely on the good nature of local clubs. They have been excellent to date and whilst this pandemic makes things a bit more complicated we hope to strengthen those partnerships going forward. This has not held us back in the past and hope that this year, whatever it brings, is no different.

What is the short-term knock-on effect of this pandemic on Schools GAA?

Games and training may move to evenings and weekends to allow parents to transfer pupils to and from games and training. The ‘league’ sections may need to be regional and common across year groups. Competitions could be a straight knockout, and club competitions in Ulster are showing this is both possible and exciting.

Will there be a long term effect?

I’m not sure to be honest as like everything else this is a constantly changing situation and I suppose none of us know really what is ahead. I think it will be very important that Gaelic games in both clubs AND schools form part of the plan going forward for both the mental and physical well-being of pupils.