Mass Intercounty Retirements
Intercounty retirements have come thick and fast since the end of the 2020 championships. Every time the GPA/ WGPA – “recently added a story” to their social media accounts, you think; who is it now? The real question then is, why?
A few circumstances came together in the last 12 months that perhaps brought about this mass retirement. These happenings are undoubtedly because of the global pandemic, Covid 19.
Covid
As a creature we thrive on certainty. We work well with facts and certitude. Since the pandemic, all the everyday basic sureties became doubts. Furthermore, our media feeds became death notices whilst infection figures rose and fell. Stock taking of one’s lot and what was important became commonplace and intercounty elite athletes were no exception.
Reconnection
You can see how an intercounty player, now spending more time within their own community, with their family and neighbours, might begin to reconnect. The club season reinforced this as players were back with their tribe with no distraction of county commitments. Players were carefree, not minding themselves during a ‘release’ from the county manager. Numerous players mentioned it during post-match interviews that they enjoyed themselves without being pulled in two different directions. Club football without guilt, without loyalty coming into question; the way it ought to be.
The Bigger Picture
Without the added travel time and local lockdowns, players followed other pursuits. The county jersey is an honour and privilege, we can all agree but the travelling, level of S&C and video analysis, all eat into personal time. Specialists such as free-takers and goalies can add to this. Perhaps therefore we have seen so many high-profile players step away and or retire. They have reassessed their priorities.
Working from home, home-schooling and remote learning kicked in and players began to see huge time-savings. The bigger picture may have become clearer to them. A small glimpse of life after football, hurling and camogie.
As players now left the cities and college campuses, attending collective county training and returning home to loved ones who may have been vulnerable, certainly added fear to an already anxious playing population. We see, where possible, some players moved in together to help avoid possible contraction.
For some, retirement may have been coming. For others, they may have been forced through age or injury, but for any player who did not see it coming, it can be a huge shock. A huge part of your identity can be tied to your sporting prouesse. Friendships can be harder to foster if you’re leaving the camp. You have three/four arranged meetups with 30/40 people each week. You become close. And then nothing. This is where the club is vital, in reconnection.
GPA Statements
The GPA/WGPA statements though we don’t always like to see them coming and some are filled with cliches, they have players from all tiers announcing their retirement which is a huge positive and may be neglected by the mainstream media, unless they hail from a top county in the top tier.
For all those who have retired after what has been an incredibly difficult year, we salute you for all your endeavours over your career. May you find as much joy away from the county jersey as you did draped in it.