FAI plotting 'template for the safe return of football' in Ireland
FAI Medical Director says training start target is June 8, with tournament between four League of Ireland clubs pencilled in for Dublin in July
Tuesday 19 May 2020 16:58, UK
The FAI are planning a four-team tournament to lay out a blueprint for a return to football in Ireland.
The games, likely to be held at the Aviva Stadium in July, will be between Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians and Derry City; the sides qualified for European competition.
The idea is for the games to prepare the sides in question for their respective European qualifiers, as well as acting as a dress rehearsal for a return to play in the country.
"The idea behind it is to try and to create a template for the safe return of football," said FAI Medical Director Dr Alan Byrne, in an interview with FAI TV.
"By planning our return this way, we can show Government and the Department of Health that football is in a position to safely return.
"It does require a bit of patience on everyone's behalf."
The association are in frequent contact with other countries' federations as they plot the return to action, with frequent testing of players at the heart of the plans.
"First and foremost, this is a medical issue which requires a medical solution, a medical plan," Byrne explained.
"We'll start off training on the 8th of June, but we'll have tested the players with the co-operation of the medical staff and the coaching staff in the four clubs. And we'll build a picture of what it's like to train in social-distanced and non-contact situation.
To rush anything through at this stage would be irresponsible and careless on our behalf.
"If you're a player... you need to be tested for your family's sake, for your sake, for your overall safety and your colleague's safety as well."
However, he did note that it will not be risk-free for players.
"I don't know whether it's feasible that everybody gets tested, it just probably isn't," he continued. "But I think if we can at least develop a template, that shows if you go through the following steps methodically with good science behind it, we can show that our game when you expand it to everybody will be safe to return first of all to training, and then to playing.
"It's important to remember that there's no zero-risk for anyone in this situation," he noted. "We have to get this down to an acceptable risk, so when we finally open football throughout the country for everybody at amateur and grassroots underage level, we can stand over our methodology and our game."
Right now in Ireland, a return to soccer action was included in 'Phase Four' of the Government's plan to re-open society, which is due to commence on July 20.
