Dungannon ended an incredible drought last night, winning their first Tyrone SFC title since 1956 with a victory over defending champions Trillick. It was done in the most dramatic of circumstances too, with Dungannon emerging victorious after a penalty shootout.
Unsurprisingly, the end of the match was met with an outpouring of emotion from the winning club. A number of supporters made their way onto the pitch in celebration.
While this was understandable in the moment, it was hardly ideal with current covid-19 pandemic.
Disgraceful, dangerous scenes as fans from Dungannon Clarkes and Trillick invade the pitch after a game yesterday pic.twitter.com/hgW2A3AfJb
— Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) September 21, 2020
Ulster GAA have been allowing up to 400 spectators at matches, with the Northern Ireland counties not limited by the rules to reduce supporters at matches that had been put in place in the Republic of Ireland.
A number of people have condemned the pitch invasion, including DUP Leader Arlene Foster.
Deeply concerned about the images from yesterday’s GAA match. Significant milestone for Dgn but Covid-19 is no respecter of victories. Other events being responsible. Sport & health will be the losers. @UlsterGAA need to address this. Serious questions arising from videos.
— Arlene Foster DBE PC #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) September 21, 2020
In a statement, Ulster GAA said this put the communities involved at 'greater risk to covid-19'.
The on-pitch celebration scenes following the Tyrone County Final in Omagh not only breached GAA protocols but, and much more significantly, public health guidelines.
Ulster GAA fully realises that this was a moment of great joy for the Dungannon Clarkes Club in winning their first County title since 1956 and congratulations to them on this success.
The dramatic nature of the conclusion of the game probably added to the exuberance but we are living in a pandemic and the post-match scenes did not portray the Association in a positive light.
We imagine there will be a major effort to ensure we don't see similar scenes around the country in the coming weeks.
See Also: Kiladangan Win First Ever Tipperary County Title In Most Dramatic Circumstances
