Ulster GAA Chief McAvoy ready for busy season

Ulster GAA CEO Brian McAvoy is hoping the province will enjoy a successful year as life begins to slowly return to normal.

The recent draw for the Ulster Senior Football Championship was a huge step forwards for the governing body of the sport, and it's hoped the worst effects of Covid-19 are a thing of the past.

"It's great to have the draw and have something to look forward to after a difficult year. 2020 was surreal, almost, the fear and apprehension around March and going from full steam ahead, to zero," said McAvoy.

"Now, thanks to the governments North and South that have been doing their utmost to get things back up and running again, we're opening up again, and hopefully it will be for good."

"As an all-Ireland organisation, our preference will be to move in unison, or close to that as possible. We do have a slight divergence now as the situation in the North is much further ahead in terms of the vaccine, and our numbers are more under control."

"Team contact training in the North has resumed, and we'll be able to have challenge games at club level only from the 1st of May, and from the 7th of May, counties that wish to start their fixtures can do so."

The Senior Football Championship will get under way at the end of June, and McAvoy is hopeful it will mark the beginning of a flourishing year for the province.

"It's a full schedule ahead for the summer, and hopefully by that stage club fixtures will be running as well, probably in league format, and then the club championships can start in and around September," said McAvoy.

The CEO is also hopeful we will soon have fans back at the grounds: "We are working very closely with the Department for Communities and Sport NI in relation to a gradual return of spectators, and I would anticipate in the not too distant future we'll have a number of pilot events."

"It's encouraging but we still must exercise caution as we are living in a pandemic and people are dying every day."