AFL boss Gillon McLachlan’s memo reveals three-hub ‘village’-style quarantine preference

AFL fans hoping for details of when they will see their favourite teams return to the field will have to cool their jets, but a memo to clubs sent by boss Gillon McLachlan has revealed how the quarantine hubs might work.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has revealed the league will not release details of the game’s return until May 11.

In a memo sent to all 18 club CEOs Friday, McLachlan said the AFL would wait on government and medical advice to plot the safest way back.

As the league works on a reboot, it has emerged in the past 24 hours that the AFL Players’ Association and several clubs are on a collision course with the AFL over potential savage cuts to list sizes.

The union would strongly oppose one scenario that would see lists slashed from 44 to 35, equating to around 160 job losses for players.

As of Friday night, the Herald Sun has learned the favoured scenario for a return is three hubs — in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.

McLachlan has written to state leaders asking them to suggest appropriate properties.

“The AFL’s current thinking is to establish quarantine zones, limit travel and reduce contact with the public by establishing an Olympic Village-style model,” he wrote.

“A Village will essentially consist of a hotel that is solely dedicated to the AFL industry to enable the control of external people entering, ideally based on extensive grounds such as a golf resort or winery that allows personnel to move around freely in a quarantined zone without public interaction.”

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Players, staff and officials will be required to self-isolate for 14 days in their home city before travelling to hubs.

They will be required to take a coronavirus test before flying on a chartered plane to the hub.

Once players and officials check into their hubs they must undertake a weekly coronavirus test for the three-week pre-season.

During the first week they would only be allowed to congregate in groups of two and would have to train alone.

A memo for AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has revealed the league won’t release details of it’s return to play plans until at least May 11. Picture: Getty Images

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Group training will start in the second week, including some simulated match practice.

Players would only be allowed to mix in groups of up to six away from official training.

At the end of the initial three-week pre-season that doubles as a quarantine period, matches will begin.

Players will again be tested before each match and will only be allowed to play if they return a negative test.

The league is still working through how list sizes and soft cap could look in the future.

The memo stated that club psychologists and psychiatrists must be retained on the skeleton staff when the lights come back on.

“The timetable we will now work to is the week beginning May 11 when we will be able to provide full details for clubs and supporters on a proposed date for a resumption of training and return to play,” McLachlan said.

“This is an incredibly challenging time for so many people across our industry and we need to continue to work closely with them.

“I realise that this means that all our staff will have to wait longer for clarity about next steps.”

The AFL will work out implications for community footy once the elite level is away.

It also comes as several clubs are investigating whether members could claim their membership fees back on tax this year because they would be supporting clubs but unable to go and watch them play.

The Australian Taxation Office would have to rule on such a proposal.

Originally published as AFL boss Gillon McLachlan’s memo reveals three-hub ‘village’-style quarantine preference