The GAA have released details for the upcoming national Hurling and Football leagues along with some other key dates.
The National Hurling League Division 1 & 2 will commence on the weekend of May 8th / 9th with 5 league rounds being guaranteed to all teams. There will be no Division 1 league Quarter Finals or Semi Finals in 2021. The top team in Division 1a and Division 1b will either be declared joint winners or if both teams meet in the championship, the game will double up as a league final.
The National Football League will commence on the weekend of May 15th / 16th with Divisions being split in to North and South based on geography as planned last December. There will be 4 teams in each group who will play 3 round robin games. The top two teams in each divisional group will qualify for the league semi finals followed by a league final, which may be played on the weekend of June 19th / 20th if the Counties involved are not involved in championship games the following weekend. In that situation, in division 1 both teams will be declared joint winners, In division 2,3 and 4 both teams will also be declared joint winners and will also be promoted.
Provincial Championship games will commence on the weekend of June 26th / 27th with the All Ireland Hurling Final on August 22nd and the Football Final the following weekend.
Club championships are set to commence on the weekend of September 5th, but for counties who exit the championship earlier than All Ireland Final stage, those counties may commence their club championships earlier than this date. The news of a return to Inter County action next month and hopefully Club training in the very near future is fantastic and we can all look forward to a summer of action all around the county.
League Fixtures
Tipperary Senior Hurlers will commence the league campaign against the reigning All Ireland champions Limerick on Saturday May 8th in the LIT Gaelic Grounds. Seven days later on May 15th Semple Stadium will be the venue when Cork will be the visitors in Round 2. On May 22nd Tipperary will be the hosts once again when Galway will be the opponents in Round 3. On Sunday June 6th Tipperary will travel to TGE Cusack Park, Mullingar to play Westmeath in Round 4 and Tipperary’s final league game will be a trip to Waterford on Sunday June 13th.
The Tipperary Senior Footballers will commence their league campaign in similar fashion to the hurlers as they too travel to the LIT Gaelic Grounds to play Limerick on Saturday May 15th. On Saturday May 22nd David Powers side will have home advantage for the visit of Wicklow to Semple Stadium in Round 2 and Tipperary’s final group game will see them make the short trip to Tullamore to play Offaly in Round 3.
Friends of Tipperary Football
As the current Euro Millions Syndicate draws to a close at the end of April, The Friends of Tipperary Football would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who joined the syndicate and also to acknowledge the sterling work done by our promoters across all four divisions. Without your support, help and dedication, fundraisers like this would not be possible to run.
The Friends of Tipperary Football are now delighted to launch a new Euro Millions Plus syndicate offering all members 2,500 chances to win the jackpot for only €20.
Everyone who joins the syndicate will be entered in every Euro Millions Plus draw from May 4th 2021 to April 29th 2022. You can join the syndicate as often as you want and who knows, together, we might even hit the jackpot!
When you join the Euro Millions Plus syndicate you will automatically become a member of The Friends of Tipperary Football which gives you free entry in a draw for 2 All Ireland Football Final Tickets.
But that is not all! As a member of “The Friends” you will also receive a unique Michael Hogan commemorative car sticker. You can join online via the website at www.FriendsofTipperaryFootball.com or by contacting any committee member for a ticket. All funds raised by The Friends of Tipperary Football will go directly towards the preparation of our inter-county football teams. The effort that the players and management put into representing Tipperary is huge and they deserve all the support that we can give them.
The Friends of Tipperary Football Euro Millions Plus Syndicate will purchase 12 sets of numbers in all the Euro Millions Plus draws from May 4th 2021 to April 29th 2022. Closing date for entries is May 3rd 2021 and winnings will be distributed as per the terms and conditions.
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2020 Injury Fund Extension to May 31st
Given that no activity has been possible for January to March 2021 a further two-month extension of Injury Fund cover has been ratified by Coiste Bainistíochta. This will now take the 2020 cover term up until 31 May 2021. This means that the GAA Injury Benefit Fund cover remains in place based on existing 2020 team registrations. Units do not need to register or pay for their 2021 teams until reinvited to do so. Details with regards to registering and payment for the 2021 GAA Injury Benefit Fund will issue once we have more clarity from Government as to what the coming months may look like. It is a condition of the extended 2020 Injury Fund cover to 31 May 2021 that in advance of any permitted return to train or play in either April or May, “All players will still be required to be individually registered for the 2021 season on the new “Foireann” membership system.” 2020 player registrations will not carry over into 2021 and cover will be declined if a player is not fully registered for the 2021 season in advance of any return to train or play in 2021. Following discussion at a meeting of Central Council, it was agreed to review the following two options as alternatives to the current pause that has been applied to the loss of wages cover that forms part of the wider Player Injury Benefit Fund. 1. Offer all our playing members who may feel that loss of wages cover is a prerequisite for participation in GAA activities for 2021 to individually subscribe to a stand-alone GAA endorsed personal injury cover plan for 2021. 2. Review the 2021 Injury fund premium payable by each of the 1,600 units and potentially increase this premium by 25% to partly cover €1.3m of the forecasted €3m fund deficit to May 2022 if loss of wages cover is to be reinstated during this term. The funds ongoing deficit is primarily due to the absence of gate receipts during this term which ordinarily sub-vents the shortfall in the fund annually.
GAA Community Heart Programme
According to a recent survey, 42 lives across Ireland have been saved by automated external defibrillators located in GAA facilities being used on members of their communities.
The GAA is marking this by today launching the Community Heart Programme. This initiative encourages every club in the country to A.C.T. now and ensure that their club can also be prepared in case of an emergency and that they can avail of a defibrillator that is ACCESSIBLE, CHARGED and that there are enough TRAINED rescuers within your Club who have the ability to operate the device(s). The Community Heart Programme allows GAA Clubs to fundraise for life-saving Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) via a bespoke fundraising platform. The programme allows clubs to fundraise for new AEDs, which are connected to the internet via the mobile phone network. This means the AED will check itself and notify designated club members via email if there is an issue that needs to be addressed, such as the battery or pads needing to be changed. In addition to having a bespoke fundraising platform, Clubs will be able to avail of a significant reduction of €995 saving per unit if they register and secure their AED(s) via the Community Heart Programme. Once the fundraising target of €2,150 per unit has been reached, the AED unit(s) will also be delivered directly to the Club. Programme partners Heart Safety Solutions will supply the unit to the club. We know that AED units save lives. However, AEDs, like all medical equipment, need to be replaced over time. The life expectancy of an AED is between eight and 10 years. Critical components such as pads and batteries need to be checked regularly. Remember, an AED should be ACCESSIBLE, CHARGED with sufficient Club members TRAINED in how to operate the device. AEDs must be checked regularly to ensure that they are in working order and ready for use. From school children to seemingly fit and health club players to older members of the community, there is a broad spectrum of people represented among the list of those who have benefitted by being near a GAA-based AED during an emergency. Tipperary GAA encourage clubs to engage with the Community Heart Programme. The GAA is working alongside Stryker to deliver the programme. Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies and, together with their customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in Orthopaedics, Medical and Surgical, and Neurotechnology and Spine that help improve patient and hospital outcomes. Where can a Club find out more about the Community Heart Programme? Communication and a registration link to the Community Heart Programme has already been sent to all GAA Club secretaries. Club members can find out more information and look up their club to place a donation at: https://savealife. communityheartprogram.com/gaa What happens during and after registration? The Club will set their fundraising target during the registration process based on the number of AED units that they wish to purchase. Once this target is hit, the AED unit(s) will be delivered and installed within approximately 6 weeks. Heart Safety Solutions (the supplier) will make direct contact with the Club to arrange.
Connie Clear Nenagh Éire Óg
It was with great sadness that we learned of the recent passing of Connie Clear, a sportsman of renown whose talents lit up town, county and country.
Connie played hurling and football for the club for many years, playing in goal for the North Final winning hurling team of 1964. He was also goalkeeper for Tipperary senior and junior footballers in 1963 and 1964.
It was in the handball alley though that Connie gained national plaudits. He continued the fine tradition of handball in Nenagh when in 1959, partnered by John Cleary (Tipperary Town), he won a minor All Ireland handball doubles title. His brother Tommy helped him to further success a year later when they won the junior All Ireland handball doubles.
Partnered by Paddy Cleary (Clogheen) the Nenagh man won his first senior title in 1968 when the pair captured the All-Ireland senior handball championship. The same partnership were again successful in the senior grade in 1972. Connie Clear dominated the handball scene in North Tipperary and in a 14 year period he was only beaten twice. To add to his All-Ireland successes, he had 13 Munster medals in minor, junior and senior grade.
In recognition of his contributions to sport, Connie Clear was inducted into the Handball Hall of Fame in 2008 and was awarded a Sean Gael Award by Tipperary County Board in 2011.
We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Margaret, children Robert, Michael, Con and Geraldine (Carty), grandchildren, extended family and his many friends.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Tipperary GAA Scene
If there is anything you feel should feature in this column going forward, please feel free to forward it to pro.tipperary@gaa.ie
By Jonathan Cullen Wed 14th Apr
