Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports in the Republic of Ireland

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The COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland has had a significant impact on the conduct of sports affecting both competitive sports leagues and tournaments and recreational sports.

Background[edit]

The Gaelic games of football, hurling, camogie, and ladies' football—mostly played in Ireland—saw all competitions suspended from 12 March 2020. The National Hurling League, National Football League, National Camogie League and Ladies' National Football League were suspended, with competitions not intended to resume until 29 March at the earliest.[1][2] On 17 March, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) confirmed that the opening fixture of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship—due to have taken place at Gaelic Park in The Bronx on 3 May—had been postponed.[3]

On 26 June, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) announced that all GAA competitions would commence in October 2020, with the hurling and football competitions to be an all-knockout competition. As from 12 September, London withdrew from the championship and from 3 November, Sligo withdrew from the Connacht football championship.

Impact by sport[edit]

Countless sporting events were affected by the arrival of the virus on 29 February 2020. Following the Taoiseach's 12 March announcement from Washington, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) all immediately announced the two-week suspension of games.[4]

Association football[edit]

On 10 March, Slovakia suspended all sports events for two weeks, 17 days before the Republic of Ireland were due to play the country's football team in Bratislava in their UEFA Euro 2020 play-off.[5] However, on 17 March, the entire tournament—among which were four games scheduled for Ireland—was postponed until 2021 to allow time for the enormous backlog of club fixtures caused by the virus across the continent to be played.[6][7] The play-off against Slovakia was subsequently postponed "until further notice", having previous been rescheduled for June 2020.[8] This absence of fixtures led directly to the end of Mick McCarthy's time as national team manager, with the FAI announcing a surprise early beginning to the managerial tenure of Stephen Kenny—who had been lined up to succeed McCarthy in August following the completion of UEFA Euro 2020—on the night of 4 April.[9] On 17 April, the FAI announced it would be giving candidates for president and Vice-President from 30 April until 25 July—the latter date being the previously scheduled election date— to confirm their nomination, as a result of the pandemic.[10] After UEFA asked for confirmation that countries due to host UEFA Euro 2020 would host the rescheduled event the following year, Ireland reaffirmed its intention to do so.[11]

League of Ireland clubs began to respond to the pandemic in mid-March. On the night of 15 March, Drogheda United sent a letter to all its staff and players informing them it would cease paying them.[12] On 19 March, Sligo Rovers announced it would temporarily make all its staff and players redundant, having already assisted those from abroad in returning home.[13] On 21 March, Cork City announced it would stop paying its players and staff.[14][15] On 16 April, it was reported that players and staff at the Shamrock Rovers club had taken a 25% pay deduction.[16] St Patrick's Athletic announced on 22 April that it had made all its playing and coaching staff temporarily redundant.[17] Waterford players and management discovered on the evening of 4 May that were being made redundant on a temporary basis; manager Alan Reynolds criticised the manner of the disclosure; chairman Lee Power—also chairman of English fourth tier football club Swindon Town—had his son—the Waterford general manager—send an email; Reynolds only found out he had lost his job at his home club when his players informed him.[18] On 15 May, the FAI announced a "a pilot programme for a return to football for everyone" that would allow Bohemians, Derry City, Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers play each other in a (closed to spectators) mini tournament; the four teams were selected ahead of others as they had qualified for European competition and the event would serve as preparation.[19][20]

Boxing[edit]

24 June brought the cancellation of a UFC event due to have taken place at the 3Arena in Dublin on 15 August.[21][22][23]

Football and hurling[edit]

On 13 March, Minister for Health Simon Harris said people returning from Spain or Italy would have to "not quite self-isolate" but "restrict their movements" upon returning to Ireland; this affected Tipperary, the reigning All-Ireland Hurling Champions, who had flown in advance to the Costa Blanca in Spain for a training camp.[24][25] Tim Floyd, Secretary of the Tipperary County Board, also contracted the virus but recovered.[26] On 15 March, footballer Dr Jack McCaffrey issued a video message thanking the public for their co-operation, which was relayed by Dublin GAA and media outlets—McCaffrey noting that he had shaven his beard to protect his patients.[27] On 17 March, the GAA confirmed that the opening fixture of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, due to have taken place at Gaelic Park in The Bronx on 3 May, had been postponed.[28] Also that day, Michael Carton, the former Dublin hurler who won the 2013 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, revealed he had been in hospital since the previous weekend after testing positive for COVID-19.[29] On 18 March, the GAA confirmed that its Féile na Gael 2020 hurling and camogie event (jointly to have been hosted by Dublin, Kildare and Meath in early June), Féile na nÓg National football tournaments (jointly to have been hosted by Donegal, Derry, and Tyrone in late June), the Celtic Challenge under-17 hurling development competition and every event intended to have involved academy squads, would be cancelled in 2020 as a result of the damage done by the virus to its other competitions.[30] On 30 March, the Irish Independent reported that Ard Stiúrthóir Tom Ryan had told employees through a conference call that their wages would be reduced by between 10 and 20% for the month of April; the GAA confirmed the following day that the report was accurate.[31][32][33] Former Offaly manager, Fr Tom Scully, who led the team to the 1969 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, died in Dublin of COVID-19 on the morning of 7 April.[34][35][36] Other GAA figures infected by the virus included Club Aontroma Chairman Niall Murphy (who narrowly survived) and Ulster Camogie Chairman Jennifer Cultra.[37][38][39] Former Dublin footballer Brian Stynes was stranded in Sydney, barred from leaving his hotel.[40] On 14 April (the day after the Easter Monday public holiday), the GAA announced that—following the government's Good Friday three-week extension of restrictions—the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship would be postponed "until further clarity on the current situation is available. However, it is the Association's view that it is highly unlikely these will be rescheduled any time before the beginning of July, at the earliest".[41] The Ulster GAA also announced the immediate cancellation of the Ulster Club football leagues, the Buncrana Cup (under-16 Football League) and the Ulster Minor Football League.[42] The Ulster Minor Football Championship was changed to mirror the fixtures of the 2020 Ulster Senior Football Championship, so that both competitions could be played together if a suitable date arose.[43] The Leinster GAA announced that both the Leinster Minor Football Championship and Leinster Minor Hurling Championship would be run as knock-out competitions if they were to occur at all.[44] On 29 April, the administrator Noel Walsh (i.e. "Mr Clare Football")[45] died of pneumonia resulting from COVID-19.[46][47][48] On 30 April, the GAA confirmed wage cuts for staff would continue into May and June.[49][50] On 6 May, the GAA announced that it expected no inter-county matches would take place until October at the earliest and asked all counties to cease preparations until 20 July, while unveiling a COVID-19 Advisory Group whose members included Pat O'Neill.[51][52][53]

Golf[edit]

On 30 March, the European Tour confirmed that golf's Irish Open, down for Mount Juliet between 28 and 31 May, would be postponed.[54] On 7 April, the sold-out J. P. McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor, and an important charity fundraiser for Ireland's midwest region, was postponed until 2021.[55][56][57]

Horse racing[edit]

Many Irish horse racing enthusiasts travelled abroad for the Cheltenham Festival, held in an English town where the arrival of COVID-19 had just been confirmed.[58] At least one Irishman, from the south, tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Cheltenham.[59] The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) decided that people returning to Ireland did not need to self-isolate, not yet regarding Britain to be overrun by the virus to the same extent as Spain or Italy then were, though Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney admitted that—had the horse racing event been held in Ireland—the government would have called for its cancellation.[60] By mid-March Ireland had become the only major horse racing country in Europe where the sport continued, albeit strictly regulated and behind closed doors.[61] All racing ceased following the measures introduced on 24 March which officially banned all sport, affecting the Irish Grand National which had been scheduled for mid-April.[62] On 1 April, the board of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) announced the cancellation of the rest of the 2019–20 Irish National Hunt racing season, including its planned festivals at Fairyhouse and Punchestown.[63] On 20 April, the RDS announced that the Dublin Horse Show—scheduled for between 15 and 19 July—was cancelled, the first time this had occurred since 1940.[64][65] On 21 April, the Galway Race Committee announced that the 2020 Galway Races summer festival—scheduled for 27 July to 2 August—was cancelled and will be held behind closed doors for the first time since 1869.[66][67] The Galway Races began its summer event behind closed doors on 27 July.[68]

People racing[edit]

On 12 March, Motorsport Ireland decided that all events until 1 June would not go ahead.[69] Then on 8 April, the Donegal International Rally—the country's biggest event in the sport, scheduled for between 19 and 21 June—was postponed for only the second time in its history (it did not occur in 2001 due to restrictions imposed to successfully contain the foot-and-mouth outbreak in neighbouring Britain).[70][71] On the night of 5 May, Motorsport Ireland extended its suspension of activities until 20 July.[72] On 19 May, Motorsport Ireland announced the cancellation of both the National Stages Rally Championship and the Irish Forest Rally Championship.[73] Meanwhile, on 28 April, the organisers of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship announced that the 2020 championship was cancelled.[74] Only round 1 of the championship, the Galway International Rally took place.[75]

On 19 May, it was announced that the 2020 Dublin Marathon—due to have been held on 25 October—was cancelled.[76]

Rugby[edit]

On 12 March, the 2019–20 Pro14 was suspended indefinitely.[77] Ireland's final two Six Nations rugby fixtures against Italy and France were postponed.[78][79] The IRFU postponed the Italy game, scheduled for 7 March, on 26 February. after it met with Minister for Health Simon Harris for an hour at the Department of Health.[80] In spite of this, thousands of Italian fans, who were permitted to fly into Dublin on the weekend of the game, were not checked at Dublin Airport for signs of the disease.[81][82] On 20 March, the IRFU announced pay deferrals of between 10% and 50% for staff, including each of its professional players.[83]

Other[edit]

FIBA—the international basketball federation—postponed the 2020 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, which had been scheduled for the city of Limerick in June, though offered the rescheduled 2021 event if desired.[84] Irish players based in the Australian Football League (AFL), including Conor McKenna, returned home following the suspension of play there.[85][86][87] In addition, the AFL announced on 5 April that they would not be travelling to Ireland for the planned International Rules Series in November 2020 due to the disruption that the virus had caused to their season.[88] On 11 May, the Camanachd Association issued a statement that it had agreed in consultation with the GAA to cancel the 2020 Shinty-Hurling International Series between Ireland and Scotland, scheduled for October.[89] On 2 June, the Aer Lingus Classic college American football game between University of Notre Dame football and Navy Midshipmen football was moved to America from the Aviva Stadium on 29 August.[90][91][92]

On 19 June, the Government of Ireland announced that all sporting activity in Ireland can resume from 29 June.[93] A fund of €70 million was announced by the Department of Sport to get sport in Ireland restarted.[94]

On 7 August, TDs—including Minister of State for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance Seán Fleming and Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora Colm Brophy—called for all sporting fixtures and events in Kildare, Laois and Offaly to be cancelled after a significant increase of COVID-19 cases in the three counties.[95]

Under new restrictions announced by the Government of Ireland on 18 August, all sporting events were to take place behind closed doors once again.[96] Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced that all spectators from sporting events would be banned until at least 13 September.[97]

The World Grand Prix, an annual event held in Dublin since 2000, could not be held due to the Health Service Executive (HSE) holding Citywest.[98]

References[edit]

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