Coronavirus; COVID-19 forces mass suspensions of Gold Coast Sport
Losing more time, they warned, could threaten the financial stability of smaller clubs reliant on sponsorship, registration fees and clubhouse patronage for survival.
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Gold Coast sporting associations have expressed confidence that the long-term effects of suspending their club competitions will be minimal as their communities unite to combat the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
Rugby union, Aussie Rules, football, baseball, basketball and netball have banded together to delay or suspend their seasons, with cricket and rugby league expected to follow suit tomorrow.
Coast officials told The Bulletin that long-term damage to their sports would be minimal if initial return-to-play targets were met.
Losing more time, they warned, could threaten the financial stability of smaller clubs reliant on sponsorship, registration fees and clubhouse patronage for survival.
Rugby League Gold Coast chairman Peter Daley said his organisation had provisionally suspended competition until Queensland Rugby League hands down their directives around midday.
“If they come back and say Easter, our main competition doesn’t start until Easter so all we’d lose is our trial period,” he said.
“If we can get started by the first of May we’ll only lose one or two rounds.
“Insurance and registration costs will have to be reviewed if the season is shortened but if we keep training with the goal to play then those have got to be paid.
“We’re very optimistic we’ll get something done, it just depends when we start the comp.”
Gold Coast District Rugby Union, who have banned training and games at the direction of Rugby Australia, conceded that their proactive stance against the virus could deal a financial toll.
“Where the real issue is is cashflow,” chairman Kim Bending said.
“Registrations are just starting to happen and that’s cashflow for our clubs and our district as well.
“With these cancellations (until May 2), people are reticent now to register and that financial burden is huge.
“It will be a challenge for all clubs over the next few months to balance the books and for those clubs that aren’t financially sound it’s a major problem.
“I’m hoping their sponsors stick with them because that will be their only revenue for the next few months.
“I’ve never seen anything on this level. These are challenging times.”
Football Gold Coast general manager Damien Bresic said his organisation had reshuffled their season draw so the sport’s value-for-money would not be affected but worried if players would return when the season did, post-Easter.
“As long we start on May 2 we’re still able to offer the same number of games,” the general manager said.
“If we don’t start on May 2 that could be a different story - financially we’re all worried.
“With numbers, if people have signed up to play in March and we’re pushing back to May, even though we’re not going further at the end of the season, the wait might be too long.
“Kids are ready to go now – will they lose interest or not want to play? And will parents be ultra-cautious and keep kids out of sport longer than medically recommended?
“We can’t force kids to play or their parents to pay to register them, but with us notifying people earlier and outlining the draw they can make informed decisions.”
GOLD COAST SPORTS HIT
Baseball: Suspended (April 8)
Football: Suspended (April 14)
Netball: Suspended (April 20)
Rugby Union: Suspended (May 2)
Aussie Rules: Suspended (May 31)
Basketball: Suspended (indefintely)
Rugby League: TBC
Cricket: TBC
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