AN exclamation mark can send a man over the edge. The usual rule of thumb is only use exclamation marks – or block capitals – if they’re absolutely necessary.
Newington FC and Dollingstown United competed in last night’s IFA Intermediate Cup final for the first time in their respective histories (Please find a short report of this game among our sports pages).
Both clubs got the cut and pasted memo, that was in all likelihood sent to all clubs who’d reached intermediate or junior finals of late, informing them that their big games would be played behind closed doors.
Under the heading ‘Spectators’, the IFA missive read: ‘These matches are ‘Behind Closed Doors’ – no spectators will be permitted!’
Note the exclamation mark.
Last week, the Stormont Executive made the long-awaited announcement that a restricted number of people could attend outdoor events.
Ulster GAA did somersaults and promptly moved from no spectators to up to 400 people per game.
The IFA were more reticent about opening its door – even in the most controlled capacity. Maybe its officials knew more about the threat of Covid19 than the medical opinion that informed the politicians up in Stormont.
I attended last Monday night’s Irish Cup semi-final between Glentoran and Cliftonville and was asked to bring a face mask.
When I was kindly chauffeured to my socially distant press seat at the back of Windsor Park’s south stand by an IFA press officer, it appeared face masks were optional among the gathering numbers of club officials below the obedient and restricted number of reporters.
Both semi-finals were played behind closed doors too. But tonight’s Irish Cup final between Glentoran and Ballymena United will have 500 spectators – all socially distanced – and yet the same Association slapped a ban on spectators attending last night’s Intermediate Cup final, a week after our power-sharing executive said there was no need to play behind closed doors.
If you follow local football at all you will know that this is just another quirk of how the IFA rolls.
Now, anyone who is not familiar with the middle tier of local soccer, the Intermediate Cup is without doubt the toughest competition to win.
Clubs from across the north participate. It feels like you’ve to play 43 matches to reach the final; it’s probably more like five or six. You encounter teams you might never encounter again.
It is local football’s equivalent to the Grand National: an absolutely arduous but hugely prestigious tournament.
So it was a big deal for both Newington and Dollingstown.
It was demoralising enough that the IFA couldn’t secure a Premier League ground for last night’s final (Annagh United, on the Tandragee Road, kindly stepped in to host it).
But to be restricted to 34 people per club – including the match-day squads and management teams – was a kick in the teeth for both clubs and their loyal supporters who couldn’t attend.
The IFA did ‘stream’ last night’s final and that has to be acknowledged. But that’s not the point.
The entire population have been holed up in their houses for over four months. They’re fed up with streams.
It was time to accommodate a small number of football fans. It was time to breathe fresh air and growl at a referee.
When it was conveyed to the two finalists that no supporters would be allowed to attend, Dollingstown’s official Twitter account summed it up best.
“Behind closed doors… Brutal.”
The GAA is streets ahead of their sporting counterparts in the north. Particularly since the pandemic, the GAA has had an even keener eye on the importance of its mental well-being role within communities.
The IFA would claim to be the same, and they do run thousands of coaching courses for kids, but there is clearly a disconnect between the hierarchy and its key stakeholders among the grassroots, especially when clubs aren’t even given an explanation for the behind-closed-doors decisions.
Newington emailed the IFA for an explanation while also urging them to reconsider their decision. At the time of writing - two hours before kick-off - they hadn't received a reply.
Within 24 hours of Stormont’s announcement of allowing spectators into outdoor events, GAA clubs up and down the country had match ticketing systems up and running.
Take, for instance, Naomh Enna GAA club on the Hightown Road on the outskirts of north Belfast.
This was a social media message posted to its club members who wished to attend their championship game last Sunday afternoon.
‘A chairde Gael, With 95 tickets already sold, there are still 55 tickets left. Ciaran is still here until 12pm and will be back at the club at 6pm. Tickets are essential for entrance to all games. Bígí Linn (translated ‘Be with Us’).’
If a GAA club can execute a match ticketing system with only a couple of days’ notice – and without a paid official on the premises – surely it was not too much to ask the IFA to set the bar a little bit higher for its own member clubs, even for the prestige of its own cup final, to sort out 100 tickets for each club, to go that extra mile.
I’ve intimate knowledge of the junior and intermediate soccer scene and there are many people who are the lifeblood of these clubs and display as much volunteering spirit as you would find in any GAA club.
The IFA missed a trick with not only playing last night’s Intermediate Cup final behind closed doors but also the Junior Cup and Junior Shield finals (congratulations to Willowbank and Ahoghill Thistle on their respective victories), but the Irish Cup final is able to accommodate 500 spectators tonight.
Maybe the Irish Cup final, and being the first Association on these islands to have spectators at a soccer game, is all that matters to them; that important slice of history that has served to alienate so many other people in the lauded 'football family'.
Granted, this is new territory for everyone including our sporting associations. Hopefully lessons will be learned going forward.
