Country footy: Upper Murray league call off 2021 season

A cross-border competition between NSW and Victoria has cancelled its season weeks out from finals as restrictions continue to take their toll.

Bullioh won the 2019 Upper Murray Football League premiership, beating Cudgewa in the final. Picture: NADIA EDWARD.

The final siren has sounded on the Upper Murray league season.

On Wednesday, the five-team competition announced it had immediately cancelled all remaining senior games after a meeting between league delegates.

Officials indicated the restrictions on travel between NSW and Victoria meant the league had been put in an “untenable position”.

Operations manager Nadia Edwards said the situation was “heartbreaking” for everyone involved.

Ms Edwards said it was difficult as the competition was forced to cancel its 2020 season, months after some communities had been devastated by bushfires.

“In the past few weeks we had been doing everything we could to keep our season alive,” she said.

“We had drawn up a number of different plans but they were all changing as time went on. Teams would have been missing too many players due to the restrictions in place.

“It would have placed too much pressure on our clubs. It’s regrettable we had to reach this point.”

Ms Edwards said it would have been difficult to ask Victorian clubs to play in front of no crowd.

“Clubs need the money from things including bar and canteen sales,” she said.

“It’s not just about player payments, even though a lot said they would be willing to play for free.

“Footy goes beyond winning premierships and it is understandable why it would be difficult for those teams competing at the top.”

Junior players will still have an opportunity to play like this weekend in an amalgamated competition involving all clubs.

“We think it’s really important we keep the younger players engaged,” Ms Edwards said.

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