By Kevin Galvin
The Gaelic Athletic Association has expressed its 'frustration' and 'extreme disappointment' over reports of potential COVID guidelines within the association.
Earlier this week the Irish Examiner reported a number of clubs in West Cork were breaking COVID training restrictions, while photos appeared yesterday of at least nine players from the All-Ireland six-in-a-row winning Dublin side participated in a session at Innisfails GAA club in Balgriffin.
It's as underage training and Intercounty action is due to resume on April 19th, with the Allianz National Leagues set to go ahead for 2021, having been postponed at the beginning of the pandemic last year.
In the wake of the recent reported breaches a letter was issued to club and county secretaries afterwards, warning them that counties who resume training early will be punished and potentially put the return to play “in serious jeopardy”.
In a statement released today, the Association say they "will pursue the allegations with the units in question at the earliest opportunity and will invoke any necessary disciplinary processes as appropriate. "
"In the meantime, while we acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of Counties and Clubs have complied in an appropriate and responsible way with the restrictions currently in place, we once again call on our members and units to uphold the integrity of the Association as part of our ongoing efforts to play our role in thwarting the virus and ensuring a return to activity when it is safe to do so."
