Bizarre Leinster GAA Scheduling Questioned As Ireland Play-Off Clash Confirmed

Anyone who has ever played a sport knows the feeling.

Some of the biggest sporting fixtures in the world pass you by because you’re tied up with your own fixtures or training sessions. How many people have only caught one leg of a classic Champions League tie because training or a match got in the way?

Major moments from World Cups or European Championships often end up being relayed second-hand, someone shouting updates from the sideline, or a quick glance at LiveScore in the gearbag after the final whistle.

It’s just part of it.

But this week, that familiar clash between playing and watching will feel a little more pointed.

Bizarre Leinster GAA Scheduling Questioned As Ireland Play-Off Clash Confirmed

Leinster GAA have refixed two postponed Leinster Minor Football Championship games, Longford v Westmeath and Meath v Louth, for Thursday night, with both matches currently set to throw-in at 7:30pm.

That puts them directly in conflict with Ireland’s World Cup play-off semi-final against Czechia in Prague, which kicks off at 7:45pm.

Longford and Westmeath will meet in Allen Park in Newtownforbes, while the venue for Meath v Louth is yet to be confirmed.

To be fair to Leinster GAA, these games were originally postponed on Tuesday due to torrential rain, while Wednesday night was already earmarked for the opening round of the Leinster U20 Football Championship, leaving limited room to manoeuvre.

Still, the scheduling does raise a few eyebrows.

In the Longford-Westmeath group, the next round of fixtures are already curiously staggered. Longford are not due to play again until April 7th away to Offaly, while Westmeath face Dublin on Tuesday, March 31st in Kinnegad.

That leaves Westmeath with two days less recovery time than Dublin, who already defeated Offaly on Tuesday night, an imbalance that could have been avoided if both Round 2 fixtures were aligned for April 7th.

Meanwhile, in the Meath-Louth group, both Round 2 fixtures are scheduled for April 7th, meaning there appears to be flexibility to stage this refixed game later in the week or early next week, avoiding a direct clash with Ireland’s match.

This isn’t about constantly shifting GAA fixtures to accommodate other sports.

There are plenty of occasions where clashes are simply unavoidable. Back in November, Éire Óg Ennis and Loughmore-Castleiney went ahead with a Munster club hurling clash on the same day Ireland faced Hungary, and that was just the reality of a packed calendar.

But given the magnitude of this particular game in Prague, you can’t help but feel a bit of breathing room might have been possible.

For the players involved, many of whom will undoubtedly be Irish soccer fans, who have had the misfortune of enduring one of the tougher eras in Irish football to date it is unfortunate. And from a spectator point of view, it’s hard to see many beyond the committed parents and fundamentalists choosing the terraces over what could be a huge night for Ireland.

Any neutral or “floating voter” is far more likely to be keeping an eye on events in Prague, hoping for more Troy Parrott heroics.

No one is suggesting this is a major controversy.

But every now and then, a small bit of common sense in the calendar wouldn’t go amiss.

SEE ALSO: New Hurling Rule Set To Be Used For First Time In Lower Tier League Finals

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