Ask The Players: Elite status issues

News that the intercounty game no longer holds elite status means that Gaelic games are going to be on hold for longer. We asked three Gaels, who have experience of playing soccer, about what they think of the development as soccer goes ahead and Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies football must sit and wait.

Kevin Niblock, Antrim

What was your reaction to the news that Gaelic games are no longer set at level five, and that a return to collective training won’t happen until Easter at the earliest?

It is disappointing, especially I think for the younger lads, who are missing so much communal team time and building those connections on the pitch. It can be demotivating but everyone needs to just reassess their goals and get on with it. It’s a matter of riding out the storm. I think it’s a big opportunity for boys to get out and get their skillset up while doing the other stuff. I think the below u-16/u-18 level should have been a priority in terms of the above and the mental health aspect and should really have been allowed to get going at this stage.

What do you think of the professional soccer season going ahead and the GAA season stalled?

I know most club players, never mind county players, are training at the level of some ‘elite’ level soccer in this country. If it’s a matter of testing etc then ok. But in terms of public demand and actually professionalism in the sport. GAA should be on if the other stuff is, no doubt.

What do you think or hope will happen with the GAA season?

I hope it’s played in full. Condensed as proposed but I think it will offer a spectacle when it does go ahead. People have been training hard regardless and many will hit the ground running. It’s an opportunity for some lads to widen the gap.

What lessons do you think the GAA or soccer will learn from all this going forward?

Moving forward I think everyone needs to be able to appreciate what they have lost and try hard to make up for that time. Appreciate what we have and how important it is. In the long run, how both sports will certainly understand how important a role they play in so many peoples lives. The club structure getting more airtime in Gaelic certainly will be a way forward. The televised/streamed games last year showed how much competition and skill levels there still are at that level.

Ryan McCluskey, Fermanagh

What was your reaction to the news that Gaelic games are no longer set at level five, and that a return to collective training won’t happen until Easter at the earliest?

It’s difficult at the moment because of people’s reactions to the longer return. It is difficult for them to accept that they are not going to get back out till Easter. I actually back John Horan’s statement which said that there is no appetite within the GAA for a rush back to action.

For me, with the large numbers involved it is a case of the GAA leading by example. I think that snowballs into other sports and codes who take guidance from what happens in the GAA.

For the sake of two or three months it is important that we try to keep everything under control.

As long as there is clarity about what is going to happen down the line, and we know when we are going to be back without any stops or starts, then we can accept it.

But if we go back and we play for a few months and then go into another lockdown, that would be a challenge. This goes beyond sport though and those decisions are made outside of the GAA. It is tough on everyone.

But it is for the greater good, and for people’s families. We have to take the guidance from HQ even though we would love to get back.

What do you think of the professional soccer season going ahead and the GAA season stalled?

That has been a problem. The over-riding concern is the comparison between the two and why they are not held on the same level.

I have been working with a young lad who is playing with Glenavon, and I have been involved in both codes.

Some of these lads are just getting travelling expenses, and other lads are coming through squads who are on nothing. Not every lad is getting paid. There is a professional side of training and commitment, but I would say it came from HQ that there is no massive appetite from the GAA.

If it is a couple of months for the greater good, and the game coming back then that is worth it. I am not saying that soccer are doing anything wrong. They are doing the best to keep the thing going.

What do you think or hope will happen with the GAA season?

It is important that the GAA talk to players and to a representation of clubs and county managers.

They can’t just make a call. If they are going to condense seasons they are going to run the risk of injuries. I am sure they don’t want that.

What everyone wants is clarity. I am coaching in Beragh in Tyrone and that’s what everyone wants. They want a plan of what is going to happen. It is unfair that we have mini pre-seasons but to not know when the season starts is tough.

We feel we are doing more than just training them.

We are working on mental health, and trying to entertain them to make sure they are okay, and to maintain that togetherness.

Whatever they do I hope the GAA makes a call, and make a call on it early, just so people can plan. I hope that they don’t rush back because that puts players under pressure.

What lessons do you think the GAA or soccer will learn from all this going forward?

What both codes need to learn is about stronger forms of communication, and that’s really all sports.

It is important that they reach out and see how all sports are coping. It is the issue of mental health, and understanding that players might find the situation difficult.

It is important that both codes learn from each other and other codes. How they communicate with clubs and county players is important.

They have to reach out to everyone, even journalists.

We have to realise that there has to be a collective approach. And we also have to think if it happened again how do we deal with it.

The GAA and soccer have done so much right.

Even if you think about the streaming of games, and how that reaches out.

Why can that not be for the foreseeable? So it is important that everyone learns as much as we can from all this.

Johnny Lafferty, Tyrone

What was your reaction to the news that Gaelic games are no longer set at level five, and that a return to collective training won’t happen until Easter at the earliest?

I’m as disappointed as anyone that it has been delayed because there is no substitute for getting together as a group and training or playing matches.

At the minute people are training alone and receiving instructions via WhatsApp groups which is not what we want to be doing. I could see it coming though as I’m sure everyone could. It was probably unrealistic to expect to be allowed to train together in March

I’m saying that I understand the decision totally. I see people on Twitter confused but it’s simple really.

It’s about two things. The status of the game and what the organisation can do for its members. We hold an amateur status from our intercounty stars right down to our u-8 club players.

We have prided ourselves on that for years but now it doesn’t make sense to people just because they are desperate to get back at it. And secondly the organisation as a whole can’t possibly put in place measures that will ensure regular testing for all players therefore it’s a non runner. I’m sure they would and could put it in place for just the intercounty players but they don’t want to be seen to be favouring that other the club programme.

What do you think of the professional soccer season going ahead and the GAA season stalled?

The soccer one is a tricky one but because they have measures of regular testing in place and are classed as semi professional/professional. They obviously have given the decision-makers the confidence that it can proceed.

I know that just recently the IFA schedule is able to go ahead due to donations from clubs to ensure testing continues. The well may soon run dry for them which would leave them in a vulnerable position.

What do you think or hope will happen with the GAA season?

I hope that the season is able to run as normal as possible in such a time when it’s safe to do so.

I would like to see a substantial club programme as opposed to a rush job over the summer.

Although I can see that being the case for clubs. But some football is better than no football at this stage.

Last year the championship gave people the excitement levels that the league couldn’t give them.

What lessons do you think the GAA or soccer will learn from all this going forward?

It’s hard to say what both the GAA or football organisations can learn from this for again. They are both a massive part of people’s lives and the society but it’s a bigger issue. It’s what people can do as individuals within society that could have helped this and what our leaders could have done differently. We are feeling the consequences of some bad decision-making.

However, we all know that the GAA is professional in all but name so maybe they can look at that and how they have prioritised the intercounty game over club without admitting it for years.