GAA Director General Tom Ryan and Paul Flynn, CEO of the Gaelic Players Association, have called on inter-county managers and teams to resist any desire to train during the current coronavirus ban.

The GAA, in common with the FAI and the IRFU, have suspended all activities until March 29 at the earliest in the wake of the crisis, with Ryan adamant that training is also banned.

“The most important thing now is not football or hurling. It’s the health of the country and there’s a lot of ways that the GAA can contribute,” said Ryan. “We took a very grave step to stop games and training and we took it with a heavy heart, but what I’d really ask is for the people in GAA clubs to give it their best shot and abide by those guidelines as best we can.

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“Because I think the better we can observe what we are asked to do now, hopefully, the shorter the closed period will be.”

Ryan made his remarks after Gaelic Players Association chief Flynn also implored managers and players to respect the ban on collective training until March 29.

“The GPA and GAA have agreed that all collective training, collective gym sessions and collective team meetings are strictly prohibited throughout the period,” Flynn said in a statement.

“Strict coherence is expected from all squads. Please be advised that there will be no insurance cover for players if breaches of this directive take place, nor will any expenses be paid.

“It is essential that we show leadership and play our role in this and hold ourselves accountable for our actions for the betterment of our communities. We have an opportunity to help protect vulnerable members in our communities who are at significant risk.”

The GPA is worried that the Championship season will be severely affected this summer if teams don’t adhere to the GAA guidelines.

“The risk remains real that if we fail to comply, and this period gets prolonged, we face the risk of disturbances to the summer schedule ahead,” added Flynn.

“I cannot emphasize how important it is that you all responsibility for our decisions within your respective counties. We have a big part to play as role models within our communities and counties.

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