Gaelic Games

Coronavirus: Galway’s clash with New York postponed

Fixture may be cancelled altogether with uncertainty as to how schedule can be redrawn

Pádraig Joyce’s side have been impressive in the league so far. Photo: Keith Wiseman/Inpho

Seán Moran's face
Seán Moran
Wed Mar 18 2020 - 17:05

Galway footballers’ trip to New York in May has become the first championship casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. A statement from the GAA on Wednesday said that the Connacht championship fixture, scheduled for Gaelic Park on May 3rd, had been postponed.

There was also a suggestion that it may fall permanently to the demands of any restructured season that emerges when the current emergency has subsided.

“The future for this fixture will be considered at a later date and in the context of the anticipated overall re-drawing of the national fixtures calendar for 2020 as necessitated by the ongoing disruption to the GAA games programme.”

This year’s league season will almost certainly be largely abandoned but Wednesday’s decision represents the first instance of a championship match being deferred.

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The decision will cause major disappointment in the county who, under the new management of Pádraic Joyce, have made an excellent start to the season and sit on top of Division One of the AFL.

As a result, a big travelling support was expected to attend. The last time the rotation took Galway to New York, they won comfortably, 2-18 to 0-8.