New Carlow GAA chairman has had a strange start to his tenure.
From no matches to a financial windfall due to Covid-19, Bolger is in a similar position to his counterparts around the country.
Covid breaches
He told KCLR’s Sunday Scoreline that the recent Dublin and Monaghan Covid-19 guideline breaches have been hard to stomach for counties such as Carlow who have stuck diligently with the rules in place.
He said: “Obviously, the sanctions were not a deterrent (for Dublin or Monaghan), and it’s very disappointing for all other GAA counties who have adhered to all the protocols. It’s very poor considering the fact that there was a plan to return.”
Bolger explained the protocols that Carlow GAA has put in place in order to make the transition to a return to play as smooth as possible.
“We have a county Covid-19 supervisor and in addition, clubs can contact our Covid-19 supervisor once juveniles return in their pods of fifteen. We’re very encouraged that we can return in a safe manner,” said Bolger.
Return to action
The Carlow GAA chairman believes that everything is in place to allow all sections of the GAA to return to action when they get the green light to do so.
“We have a good schedule set out that will ensure that senior, underage, camogie, and ladies football will all be facilitated throughout the course of the year.”
Finances
Bolger lamented the lack of fans amid the financial constraints that have been put on every County Board across Ireland.
However, he stated that Carlow has a number of ideas in the pipeline to raise much-needed funds.
“We have a proposal for a fundraiser that we hope will happen in the next month. We also have our club development draw, and we hope to see crowds return to games very soon.
“However, we have a serious cash flow issue, and the pandemic has hurt us financially. Central funding will be very small as well because the GAA has also struggled as an organisation,” said Bolger.
Listen back to the interview below.
