Adelaide’s AFL clubs keen to kick off despite the uncertainty surround the 2020 season
The Crows and Port Adelaide CEOs say they are keen for the AFL to kick off despite the uncertainty – hoping it will bring some normality to people’s lives.
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Adelaide Chief Executive Andrew Fagan is hoping starting the AFL season can bring some normality during one of the country’s most challenging times.
Fagan said it had been a “extraordinary” time for everyone.
“This is an unprecedented challenge to our game,’’ Fagan said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“It’s incredibly complex,’’ he said.
Despite opening the season in Melbourne tonight, the AFL has vowed to bring the season, which will feature 17 games per club instead of 22, to a standstill if a player tests positive for coronavirus.
Matches will be played over 16 minutes, plus time-on, rather than 20.
Fagan said the decision to start the season came on the back of AFL bosses getting as much information surrounding coronavirus as possible.
“It was mostly about getting all the right information,’’ Fagan added.
“There was so much information out there and it can make decision making tough.
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“We certainly welcomed the AFL decision,’’ he said.
Fagan stressed the amount of processes in place to keep their players safe during such a testing a time.
“All our players are ready to go,’’ Fagan said.
“(The players) are surrounded by doctors all the time, we’ve had an enormous amount of education, there is an extraordinary number of precautions and education with how they operate outside the club.
“You’re far less likely to transmit COVID-19 inside a football club than you are a broader community,’’ he said
Fagan said at present the first four rounds would be played in the same order of the fixture with other measures likely to put in place for changes should issues arise.
“We’ve been told they’ll be played in order and 99 per cent in the same fixturing slots,’’ Fagan said.
“That could be potentially changed,’’ he said.
Fagan said it was impossible to gauge just how big a financial hit AFL clubs would suffer.
“The financial implications will be really significant, how big that is at the moment we don’t know because we’re not sure how long this will go for,’’ Fagan said.
“It’s not different to other business in the broader community.
“It’s unimaginable, but we’ll get through it. We must and we will find a way through,’’ he said.
Fagan said the scale of coronavirus had put the plans for the Crows’ city base on the backburner over the past week.
“I haven’t even spoken to council since the public consultation,’’ Fagan added.
“I’ve heard the feedback was positive but we’ve got to address the immediate issues,’’ he said.
Port Adelaide will train at Alberton Oval today (Thursday) before boarding a chartered flight to the Gold Coast on Friday after the AFL’s decision to go ahead with Round 1.
“The precautions that are in place for our places have been for two or three weeks,’’ Thomas said.
“We will try and get them in out of the airport without interaction with anyone else.
“There isn’t a group in the community who are better placed,’’ he said.
Port Adelaide Football Club chief executive Keith Thomas said it was an enormous challenge for everyone involved but was a good move during such a challenging time
“We’re going to have to be pretty good to get through it,’’ Thomas said.
“I really like the idea we’re having a crack at moving forward.
“I like the fact that when we’re playing it gives us purpose, it gives us normality, I think it says something about our spot, it says we’re trying to work out way through it.
“I think it’s been great leadership from Gil and the AFL,’’ he said.
And as far as next weekend’s Showdown, Thomas said they were trying to find a way to make the unique experience appealing to their members and fans during the 150th year.
“One of the things we still have is a footy team, we still have a game and members wanting to consume the game,’’ Thomas said
“Our challenge is how do we bring the game in its current form to our members that is interesting and compelling.
“It’s changing the way of thinking and we’ll learn things that will improve us going forward,’’ he said.
Like Fagan, Thomas said it was impossible to quantify the impact it will have on the club.
“The reality is across the year it’s millions and millions (of dollars) and the reality is there is no way you can cover that level of revenue loss, this will take years to recover from and we accept that,’’ Thomas added.
“Our immediate task is to manoeuvre out way through the next six months.
“Every sporting club and every business in the country is feeling exactly the same way, we’re not special’’ he said.