At a time when people crave the tradition of sporting events, the world of sport is sadly just as uncertain as the day-to-day one we live in.
However, there will be an action-packed summer of sport, we're just not sure how it will shape up.
There is a sizeable asterisk looming over the sporting calendar this summer, as the Covid-19 situation can change things at short notice, but we do have a rough outline of how it will look.
Highlights will include the GAA Championships, Euro 2020 and the Lions tour.
Here, we take a look ahead to a summer of sport (hopefully with fans present).
The #GAA today published a revised 2021 Master Fixtures Calendar which will see the inter-county season played off in a 20-week period with the All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling Finals in August. #GAABelong
Advertisement— The GAA (@officialgaa) April 8, 2021
National Hurling & Football Leagues — May 8th/15th
GAA president Larry McCarthy is confident this year’s intercounty season can play out without a hitch.
The Hurling League starts with a clash between All-Ireland champions Limerick and Tipperary at the LIT Gaelic Grounds on May 8th.
That weekend will also see Westmeath play Galway, Dublin play Kilkenny, Cork play Waterford, Wexford play Laois, and Antrim play Clare.
The Football League starts with a clash between Kerry and Galway on May 15th, with Tyrone going up against Donegal at 5pm on the same day.
Dublin face Galway on May 23rd.
In the Football League, four teams will be in each group based on geography with three round-robin games per team. The top two in each divisional group will advance to the league semi-finals followed by a league final.
The bottom two in each divisional group will play relegation semi-finals with the two losers of those matches relegated. The bottom teams in Division 4 will play a Shield semi-final and final.
League finals will only be played on June 19th/20th if counties involved are not playing in the championship the following weekend.
In the Hurling League, the action will run from the weekend of May 8th/9th to the weekend of June 12th/13th. Division 3 of the Allianz Hurling League will run from the weekend of May 15th/16th to the weekend of June 19th/20th.
There will be no Division 1 Hurling League quarter-finals, semi-finals, or final played. There will either be joint winners for 2021, or if the teams that win Div 1A and Div 1B meet in the Championship, this will double as a League Final.
US PGA Championship — May 17th to 23rd
Another one of the big ones on the golf calendar takes place from May 17th-23rd. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort will play host to the tournament this year.
French Open — May 23rd
This year's tournament at Roland Garros in Paris is due to start this year on May 23rd but the tennis major could be delayed for a second year on the trot due to the Covid-19 crisis in France.
League Cup final — April 25th
The EFL Cup final has been delayed from its usual February date in the hope of having supporters present. Jose Mourinho and Tottenham will attempt to deny Manchester City a fourth League Cup victory on the trot.
The return of fans will be tested at the home of English football with up to 4,000 spectators expected.
FA Cup final — May 15th
The showpiece in the English football calendar takes place on May 15th at Wembley. There are expected to be 21,000 fans in attendance for the FA Cup final.
All-Ireland Hurling & Football Championships — June to August 22nd/29th
Leaving very little breathing room after the Leagues, the Hurling and Football intercounty Championships will kick-off in June.
The Football Championship will follow a straight knock-out format, similar to 2020, with the All-Ireland Football final set for August 29th, preceded by the All-Ireland Hurling final on August 22nd.
As always, the provincial titles will have to be settled before the main event, with the draw having taken place to decide the pairings in the Munster, Connacht, Leinster, and Ulster championships.
Euro 2020 – June 11th to July 11th
As things stand, Euro 2020 is still due to be staged across 12 cities, including Dublin.
However, UEFA insist host cities will have to have at least some fans present, so it looks unlikely that games in the Aviva Stadium will go ahead.
As the Irish Examiner reports, the 51,000-capacity national stadium is scheduled to stage three groups matches and a last-16 tie from June 14th but the cautious approach taken by the State around easing lockdown restrictions has raised doubts about that plan.
FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill has admitted Dublin would only be retained by UEFA if health authorities permitted spectators back into stadia.
The semi-finals and final are due to take place at Wembley so there will be fans at these games, it remains to be seen how many.
Copa America — June 11th to July 11th
The Copa America takes place at the same time as Euro 2020, it was also delayed from last year.
US Open — June 17th to June 20th
The 2021 United States Open Championship will be the 121st US Open, it is scheduled to be played June 17th–20th at Torrey Pines in San Diego, California.
UFC 264: Conor McGregor v Dustin Poirier — July 10th
Conor McGregor will be looking for revenge after he suffered the first knockout of his career against Dustin Poirier in January. Their trilogy bout will headline UFC 264 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Tokyo Olympic Games — July 23rd to August 8th
The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will be held from July 23rd to August 8th, 2021. In bad news for Irish fans, it has been confirmed that overseas fans will not be permitted to attend the Games.
British & Irish Lions Tour 2021 – July 3rd to August 7th
The British & Irish Lions are scheduled to play a three-match test series against South Africa. Unlike previous series, where the Lions played seven additional games against local teams, in 2021 there will only be five additional games, making a total of eight.
GAA Club Season – Summer to February 2022
When the intercounty All-Ireland Championships are done and dusted, attention will turn to the club season.
Counties will be able to commence their club competitions once their county squad has been knocked-out of the Championship, so the timeframe for these competitions will remain fluid.
Once county champions are crowned, the provincial stages will go ahead at the end of this year, with the All-Ireland Club finals excepted to be held in February of next year.
