In the face of the biggest health emergency that we have seen in our lifetime, sport has understandably taken a back seat – but hopefully when this emergency is over it will once again become a major part of our lives. I have often raised the topic over the years as to how dull our lives would be without sport and that will certainly be evident over the coming weeks and maybe even months. Nobody I have spoken to believes that anything will be returning to normal by March 29th. I am certainly no health expert but if we are out of the woods by May 29th we will be very lucky. So what will the implications be for sport locally and further afield? Your guess is as good as mine, because it will all depend on how long it goes on. Here are the implications as we can see them at this point…
Gaelic football
Roscommon: It is very doubtful that the National Football League will be completed now, meaning the authorities will have to decide what to do about the placings in the tables. Roscommon had two matches to go and were in a good position with regard to achieving 
Club Matches: It would appear that the league games down for decision in April could well fall by the wayside, but with the championship not due to be started until August, we can all hope and pray that we are back to something approaching normal by that stage. If that’s the case it will be the most eagerly-awaited championship season of all time!
Nationally: The biggest threat is to the championship. If May is a write-off then massive decisions will have to be made by the GAA at national level.
Hurling
Roscommon: The National Hurling League is at a more advanced stage than the football competition and it would be easier for the association to write off the rest of the campaign without any implications for various teams. That would include Roscommon, who have retained their place in Division 2B. However, with Christy Ring Cup games coming up in May, there could be implications for all sides. With no training going on it will be very difficult to prepare the team for the championship. The club leagues were due to be played in March and April. Those games will probably not go ahead. With only seven teams, it would be easy to re-arrange the championship if that was needed so there shouldn’t be much disruption there.
Nationally: With the new round-robin championships in Leinster and Munster set to begin in May, there will be anxiety in the corridors of power if there isn’t a return to action before then. If that happens the GAA will have to look at extending the championship or introducing a new format for 2020. They may have to go back to the old format for one more year.
Ladies football and Camogie
Both codes face the same problems as men’s senior football and hurling. In ladies football, much of the league programme has been completed, with the biggest worry being the championship. Hopefully it will be possible to play it in the months of June and July. The Roscommon camogie side have only played a couple of fixtures in the league and it is doubtful whether that competition will be completed. As with football and hurling, the championship will be the big target, but everything is on hold right now.
Soccer
League of Ireland: There are very serious problems facing most League of Ireland clubs if this sport shutdown is extended for a few months. The majority of clubs here exist from one week to the next and depend almost totally on gate receipts. It’s entirely possible that some clubs will not survive if this situation is extended.
Republic of Ireland: The Euro 2020 competition has been put back to 2021. Our play-offs may
Champions League: I read today (Monday) that there are plans to play the semi-finals and final over a four-day period – and all at the final venue in Istanbul – which is an interesting development. There are also plans to do the same thing with the Europa League quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, which are due to be played in Gdansk. But the big question is whether there will be any fans present? Probably not.
UK Leagues: The authorities are really in a pickle about what to do here. There have been calls for the season to be declared null and void but that would be really unfair on Liverpool who are 
Locally: The leagues were almost over but when they will be resolved is anyone’s guess. The Premier League decider between St. Peter’s and Castlerea Celtic can be played at some stage and the promotion and relegation issues can be sorted out too. The cup competition is another matter entirely and it may have to be abandoned altogether for this season.
Rugby
Six Nations Championship: This will be the easiest competition to resolve because with only six teams involved and only a few fixtures to be played matches can be rescheduled without much bother to later in the year.
Heineken Cup and PRO14: The situation here is much more complicated. If action begins again in April then there would not be much disruption, but if there was to be a delay through the months of April and May, there might be a situation where these competitions would not be finished. There are also international summer tours on the way and with a fundamental change in the way people travel sure to be an outcome of all this, there must be question marks over trips such as Ireland’s scheduled one to Australia.
Locally: The league season for clubs was coming towards an end but there are cup competitions still to be played. I have a feeling that the club season here in Connacht and throughout the country could be over.
Golf
The Majors: The PGA Tour has taken the huge decision to postpone the Masters in April. It’s arguably the biggest tournament in golf. I’m sure the thinking is to play it later in the year, but that could have huge knock-on implications for the likes of the rest of the PGA and European Tours, and the timing of the four majors. There could be some regular tournaments sacrificed in order to facilitate playing the majors.
The Ryder Cup: Even the situation as it stands has major implications for the Ryder Cup. My guess is that it could be put back a year. It happened after 9/11 and postponing it would ease the pressure on the authorities here in Europe and in the USA.
Ireland: The Irish Open is due to be played in Mount Juliet in Kilkenny at the end of May. Fingers crossed that things will be returning to normal at that stage. Local clubs remain open but the clubhouses are closed and competitions in most clubs have now stopped. At least it’s a way for people to get out in the fresh air.
Boxing
Huge bouts at all levels of the professional game are set to go by the wayside for a few months at least and that could affect the likes of Katie Taylor, Michael Conlon, Joe Ward and many more Irish competitors. The biggest worry is that the Olympic Games could be affected. Only time will tell. Local cubs have all been affected.
The Olympics
As of this week the Olympic Games are definitely going ahead but that could change closer to the
Athletics
Already there has been massive disruption with all the upcoming championships gone by the wayside for the foreseeable future. Even the London Marathon has been moved back six months and the Boston Marathon has been re-scheduled.
Horse Racing
Roscommon Races do not start until the end of May but I would be fearful that a couple of meetings could have to go by the wayside.
Other Sports
The Formula One season has been delayed by two months at least and there are major question marks over the Irish rally season.
In cycling, the Giro D’Italia has been postponed but it is hoped that the Tour de France will be able to go ahead in July. All activity here has been stopped as well.
In snooker we are coming up towards the World Championships, which may have to be played behind closed doors.
In darts the Premier League continues and as it is in the UK anything could happen – but it should not be going ahead.
It was interesting to read the report from the CDC (Centre For Diease Control) in the USA who are recommending this week that there should be a complete sports shutdown of all sporting activity “for at least eight weeks”. This is a country where it is thought that they are not doing enough to limit the spread of the virus.
Jobs in Sport
There is another serious aspect to this disruption and it is that there are many people who are going to lose employment as a result of this crisis and the fact there will be no sport for the foreseeable future.
There are also massive implications down the line in terms of sports summer camps for kids and while that situation is a while away, if what we are being told about the length of this crisis is true then those camps will be under threat too.
We are living in unprecedented times. The way of life for us who write and report on sport has ground to a halt and while there are far more important things going on, sport certainly helps the mental health of a nation.
It takes our minds off the daily grind, and for those of us who love sport it is part and parcel of our lives. The sooner that this crisis is over and we can return to something approaching normality, the better.
