The Leitrim chairman admits he is very concerned about gambling

Enda Stenson, GAA chairman of Leitrim, admits that he has great concerns that his players will be playing in games in the coming months and that he would “be appalled if I think one of our players is the cause of the spread of Covid-19 to anyone ”.

The Division 3 team will play Allianz League games against Down and Tipperary before facing Mayo in Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada on November 1st.

It means a busy time for the team after a month of training.

Concerns have been raised over the past week about the feasibility of an amateur sport as parts of the country are entering Level 4 due to increasing cases.

The huge increase in cases in Northern Ireland is also a factor when sites travel from the south to the north.

Districts with fixtures in the north were looking for neutral venues to be made available. However, all pairings are carried out according to a decision by the GAA’s Central Competition Control Committee

Stenson told RTÉ Sport: “The health and well-being of our young players is of the utmost importance to us and everyone else. That’s the talk across the country. I couldn’t tell you how many calls I got today and yesterday from people saying, “Why are you doing this? You don’t have to do that. ”

“This weekend our senior men’s team is in Newry, our senior women’s team is having a challenge game in another county, our minors will be elsewhere and senior hurlers in Bekan. That’s four teams leaving Leitrim to play in different parts of the country.

“I can’t visit my neighbor because I can’t go to their house. I’m not sure how the government can make up for that. That doesn’t seem to fit. That has great reservations about many people I have spoken to in the past few days.

“But here we are. It was decided whether it was political or wherever that games should be played. I’m not sure and have said it several times whether it was the right thing to do. “The league.

“We had a number of reservations. But now we’re going to play two rounds before the championship. If something goes wrong in the two games, it will ruin the entire ATM. Maybe it would have been better to focus on the championship. If you play a round of the championship, at least after the first weekend, 16 teams were gone. After the second it would be eight. You would have a smaller chance of spreading the virus. But we are where we are. ”

Stenson added that he had spoken to other chairmen and “they all feel the same”.

“I don’t have an answer right or wrong, but I know a lot of people are not happy with what is going on.”

It was a trail of thoughts shared by Kerry’s All-Ireland 2009 winner Darran O’Sullivan.

This weekend, Kerry continues his Allianz League campaign with the long trip to Monaghan and O’Sullivan believes that safety is a major concern for family and work colleagues, regardless of the players themselves.

“I really don’t think it’s an argument that everyone can win for or against,” he told 2fm’s Game On. “You want to see it [league and championship] I don’t make sense of how you expect guys to put themselves at risk.

“People will say they are ready to take the risk but I think when you look at it on a larger scale, it’s more than just the players, it’s their families, their workmates.

“I looked at it from the perspective if one of my colleagues, like Kerry, who is now going to Monaghan for the weekend, feels safe when he or she comes the next day?

“My honest answer would be no.”

As Leitrim prepares for the league game, the chairman said his county will play their games and he has assured players that if they are not comfortable they can opt out.

One feeling in the back of your mind, however, is the possibility that GAA activities could spread Covid-19 and make family members, school children, and others sick.

“Nobody is under pressure to leave,” he added. “None of our players have come under pressure from senior management or the county board. If the players like to leave, I’ll be there as chairman of the county board. ”

“The championship is fixed. The phone call I make won’t change that decision. We focus on going down and getting our players back safely. We welcome Tipperary here the following week and look forward to the championship when it comes. ”

“I hope for everyone that we can all get off safely and especially… the players have to go home and many of them may have elderly parents.

“Many of them may be school teachers and many of them may have young children. I would be absolutely horrified if one of our players passed Covid-19 on to anyone. It’s a big worry. You have responsibilities when you are the chairman of the county board. But that’s exactly what it is. ”