Cork GAA – Covid 19 Circular

Firstly, on behalf of Coiste Chontae Chorcaí, we hope that you and your families are safe and well despite the obvious challenges which you are all facing currently.

We understand the frustration of members at present, but urge all to continue to comply with government and GAA restrictions.

This circular is in response to a few queries from clubs recently and is obviously sent while recognising that changes may occur in the future. If changes follow, we will continue to keep you up-to-date.

The statements in bold have been included in correspondence from Croke Park previously.

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“On the games front, the GAA has confirmed that no official on-field activity will resume before July 20th and our facilities will remain closed until that date. 

 
The maintenance of facilities can continue while adhering to the guidelines and as of May 18th construction work on our grounds is also permitted and clubs should liaise with their County Committees on this issue.
 

As per the communication from Croke Park above, please note that GAA facilities remain closed, apart from maintenance works and the completion of construction works that have received permission from Croke Park / County Committee.

Therefore, clubs are asked to continue to prevent any playing activity on GAA facilities taking place. We are grateful for the continued contribution of club officers in this regard.

Maintenance can continue provided;

  • The persons undertaking the works should as far as possible be the usual person designated to undertake such work at the club
  • All persons undertaking works must be informed of the HSE advises re social distancing and they have to confirm they are not sick and not under any restrictions that would prevent them working as per advises from health officials. Posters / information advises should be in place at the club. These were included with previous communications and are available on https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/partner-resources/
  • Social distancing and other advises from HSE must be adhered to
  • Equipment should only be used by designated persons and will need additional cleaning after each use by the designated person. PPE must not be shared and should be cleaned after use
Clubs might also need to conduct security checks on the property and water systems may require flushing to prevent legionella.
If the persons who regularly do this work are unavailable and somebody else needs to take on these duties the club will need to ensure these persons are competent to undertake the tasks. In the event of an accident the GAA club will be considered to be their employer from a liability point of view and is thus legally responsible for ensuring that the persons undertaking such tasks are competent to do so.

In relation to CE Scheme Workers any decision for them to return to work is in the hands of their Sponsor Group and Local Supervisor and they also need to adhere to social distancing and HSE guidelines.

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“The GAA Player Injury Scheme will remain closed until an official return to activity is confirmed.”

Please remind all members that organised training is not permitted and that there is no player injury cover in place. Therefore, it is totally forbidden for any team management to engage in any organised sessions with their players.

Of course, if players are availing of the various coaching videos circulating on various platforms currently, this is to be encouraged, once it is clear that they do so in a personal capacity and not as part of a formal team programme.

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“No official on-field activity will resume before July 20th.  We do not expect any inter-county championship games before October 1st”.

The Cork County CCC are currently are currently examining revised competition schedules for games. That information will be shared when those arrangements are finalised and we have clarity around return-to-play timelines. Any changes to existing championship structures will require the approval of the County Committee.

“Clubs are reminded that membership and public liability will need to be in place for the return of our activities and are advised to process same in the weeks ahead.”

We thank Clubs that have sent in monies due for Affiliation, Insurance Premiums and the Player Injury Scheme this year. We have no updates on whether there will be any rebates due to the current cessation of activity.

Allowing for the complexities associated with the current situation, the GAA continues to plan for the staging of this year’s Kellogg’s Cúl Camps and will communicate any changes to this approach with our clubs if they arise.

We have no further information on this matter currently.

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Finally, many thanks to all clubs for your continued cooperation. The wonderful contribution being made by members to local communities at this time is a credit to all.