Mr. John Horan:

With regard to the safety of participants, I am quite comfortable that we have heretofore had good practice in place. We were initially criticised for not returning sooner but we put good education programmes and practices in place. This is why we have not had any major problems in the 14 weeks we have been back. Any incidences of Covid connected with GAA clubs have been the result of outside factors rather than internal factors. I am quite confident that our volunteers who have embraced the great responsibility of keeping our facilities and members safe have done so well and will continue to do so.

With regard to financial matters, a small return of attendances will not turn around our financial position. That is why we have had to come to the door of the Government to seek financial support. In fairness, the Government has been very appreciative of the work we have done and I believe we will get a positive response. We are of the view that whatever funding we get must be distributed throughout our organisation. That is the network within which we operate. From provincial and county boards down to the clubs on the ground, which are the real heartbeat of our organisation, all levels must be provided with financial support because capacity on the ground has dried up considerably and clubs are finding it difficult to remain viable within their communities.

I will add to what Mr. John Horan has said. He has expressed it very well. We are satisfied that our clubs have been well educated and there are good protocols in place. At the end of the day, the health and safety of our players and all involved in the game are paramount. We have successfully opened up the club game at amateur level and it is working well. It is interesting to note that our sister unions in the UK do not anticipate playing club rugby until at least the end of this year and possibly well into next year. The three field sports organisations in Ireland have really set the pace and done a fantastic job.

I wish to echo what Mr. Horan has said in terms of the financial situation as well. Social distancing at 2 m would possibly generate an attendance in the Aviva Stadium of approximately 7,000 people. Unfortunately, that would make no difference whatsoever to our financial situation. Social distancing at 1 m would bring us up to approximately 18,000 capacity at the Aviva Stadium. That would still not solve the problem entirely, but at least it would help. The work done by the GAA, FAI and IRFU to put a roadmap together and to look at how we get spectators back into stadia is paramount for all three organisations and for the wider sporting community as well.