I am delighted today to be able to publish these guidelines which will be used in preparing for the hosting of 16 sporting events between now and early July. I would like to congratulate the combined working group on their work in putting together a document that will serve as an important guide for those staging safe events during the pandemic. It is very clear that the collective focus of the working group on the safety of their fans and communities shines through in the work on the guidelines.

“I am acutely aware how eager fans are to see their home county, local club or sporting heroes in action one again. These expert led guidelines are significant because they chart a clear path back to allowing large numbers of spectators attends games once again. They cover a huge range of areas from ticketing and arrival at the grounds, to public transport and communications with fans, stadium signage, contact tracing and a host of other important factors. The guidelines can be continuously reviewed after each pilot event and will ultimately pave the way for much greater numbers to attend sporting events as we progress into summer and autumn.”

The collaborative nature of the working group involving the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU and Sport Ireland has been very obvious since we began our work in October 2020. I am grateful to each and every member of the team, to Ministers Martin and Chambers for engaging with us and for taking our recommendations forward and to officials of the Department for their guidance. The working group is committed to monitoring the events and if need be adapting our approaches as we progress to larger attendances later this Summer. We will share experience gained across sport, the entertainment sector and with broader society to ensure that communities around Ireland can get back to safe enjoyment of our favourite sports and events.

Notes

Summary

• Pilot events are necessary as a proof of concept for the safe management of events whilst COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities and in order to evaluate and build confidence in the COVID-19 guidance and event management protocols developed by the culture and sports sectors
• The Culture and Sporting sector have already undertaken work in preparation for events through the development of sectoral guidance to ensure COVID-19 mitigation. These guidelines will be key to the safe delivery of the pilot events
• In October 2020 a combined working group of the FAI, the IRFU and the GAA came together under the chairmanship of Martin Murphy of the Aviva Stadium. Other Sporting bodies were represented via Sport Ireland on this working group. Health and Safety experts were also part of this group. The working group devised guidelines in 2020 that have now been revised. These protocols are designed for use by event organisers
• The measures recommended in the guidelines offer multiple layers of protection and screening testing for the virus is not going to be a mandatory requirement. There will be contact tracing tied to each ticket which will be held for 28 days, to enable us to help the HSE if there is a case linked to the event. We aim to do it properly, train and educate staff and stewards. The intention is to start with low-risk low-attendance events
• Later in the Summer as more and more people are vaccinated there may be scope to increase attendances further
• Event Organisers will have primary responsibility and will liaise with the Local Authorities, public transport providers, an Garda Síochána and others
• The organisations will also have bespoke communications with fans given the nature of the events and the difference between the trial events and what spectators are accustomed to
• Fans will need to wear masks throughout the events, will be seated and socially distanced from other fans. All spectators will need a ticket which will record their name in case contact tracing is needed after the event. Data protections are built into that process
• For the trial events no food and beverages will be available. A code of conduct for fans will be devised for each event and health declarations will be expected from all attendees. Entry times will be staggered to allow for efficient and safe throughput of fans
• The organisations have worked with their ticketing partners to ensure a robust track and trace will be in place and this system has already been operational and been validated outside of Ireland (UK)

Appendix 1 – Initial list of trial sporting events