SA soccer leagues will play a more congested fixture to complete season post-Covid lockdown

Football South Australia’s plan to make up missed matches during the state’s third Covid-19 lockdown will be intense – but may just salvage the season.

Soccer leagues around SA will be setting multiple fixture dates each week for the short-term to ensure the season can be fully played out, after the state’s latest lockdown.

Football South Australia (FSA) called a meeting with various clubs from the SA National Premier League (NPLSA) and State League 1 and 2 competitions on Tuesday night to determine the plan, which will see clubs competing twice a week.

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This came in response to Premier Steven Marshall’s announcement that local sporting clubs will be allowed a return to training – but would need to wait until next week to return to competitive games to reduce contact between players.

While the plan increases the load on players, especially those with work or other commitments during the week, FSA chief Michael Carter said it was needed to ensure all fixtures could be completed as close as possible to the original October 22 season end-date.

“We were put in a unique position because some fixtures got washed out the week before lockdown, meaning we now have around three weeks worth of games to make up,” he said.

“It’s a good outcome to be able to return to training and it would’ve been ideal to get straight back to games, but I think right now the best scenario is to restart competition next week and make sure we can get it all done by late October or early September.

Carter said a more congested fixture would be a challenge for players, but believes the lockdown provided a reasonable, and even welcome, break from games.

“The way we’re looking at it is it’s a bit of a mid-season break. A few weeks off probably isn’t a bad thing,” he said.

“That one to two hours of exercise we were allowed during lockdown has been pretty important – I think the fact players had that means coaches won’t be needing to put together any crazy training regimes upon return.”

Been there, done that.

Sturt Lions Football Club senior coach and director of football operations, Lino Fusco is accepting of the plan put forward by FSA and confident his team can shake off the Covid-19 cobwebs to finish the season strong.

His side currently sits sixth on the NPLSA ladder after 13 rounds and has experience performing after lockdowns, having won the State League 1 Grand Final 2-0 over White City after the December 2020 lockdown and gaining promotion to the top division.

“We have only trained twice in the past three weeks and will not have played a competitive game for three weeks, so we are keen to restart,” Fusco said.

Sturt gun Michael Gravas (right) will undoubtedly be eager to get the season underway next weekend after yet another lockdown. (AAP Image/Dean Martin)

“Playing extra games midweek to catch up all the postponed fixtures puts an extra load on the players, but we will be somewhat refreshed.

“At the same time we need to carefully manage the boys upon return. The first game back next weekend won’t be easy and it is unfortunate but it is a minimal issue compared to keeping the community safe.

“And it’s nothing we haven’t done before after going straight into the Grand Final after lockdown last year.”