You’ve got to hand it to the GAA: nobody does fixture lists quite like those lads!
Trying to avoid watching a Champions League Final involving Liverpool? No problem, we’ll throw on a Connacht Football Championship semi-final to get you away from the TV!
Dreading a (potential) World Cup final victory for England and the inevitable gloating from a smug Gary Lineker and his cringeworthy cronies? Don’t worry about it chief, we’ll put the Super 8 game of the weekend on at the exact same time!
As a Manchester United supporting Irishman, I am grateful for the GAA’s forward thinking in this regard. To have a genuine reason not to watch successful Liverpool and England teams is surely why the GAA was founded in the first place? (I jest)
But who really cares about ‘foreign’ sports clashing with our beloved games, what about fixtures closer to home? One member of a local club was in contact via Twitter this week to highlight the fact that there was a full list of league fixtures down for decision at 6 pm this Sunday. How could those involved enjoy Kerry v Galway and the World Cup final, he wondered?
According to the secretary of another local club, clubs had the option of rearranging fixtures for midweek or later that evening but it still wasn’t easy to suit everyone.
Understandably, it’s difficult getting numbers midweek in rural Ireland during the summer months never mind when there’s unseasonably warm weather. Therefore, finding a time and day that suited everyone could prove more stressful than say, a day at the bog!
The fact is the club secretary was 100% correct; fixture planning can be a thankless task at the best of times. I mean, if those responsible at GAA headquarters find it difficult to avoid clashing with the Champions League and World Cup finals, what hope does the hard-working secretary of a local club have of pleasing everybody?
