Community football set to return next month after easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria
Victoria’s footy leagues, coaches and players are elated to learn they will soon be playing for premiership points, with COVID-19 restrictions set to be eased next month.
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They’re treating it as a big win.
Leagues, coaches and players are elated after news that local football will be returning next months.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced yesterday that contact training could start from July 13 and competition matches from July 20.
He named the dates as part of a further easing of restrictions for the coronavirus pandemic.
“Local footy teams, soccer clubs and other contact sports will be able to resume training for over 18s from 13 July. And from 20 July, full competition can begin too,’’ Mr Andrews said in a statement.
“Supporting this gradual return to sport, clubs and community facilities will also be able to reopen their changerooms.’’
He added: “Recognising the lower rate of transmission amongst younger people, all sports training and competition will resume for those 18 and under. Non-contact sports competition can also begin across every age group.’’
Junior football will be able to kick off.
Cheltenham coach and former Richmond player Des Ryan said it was tremendous news.
“I think we’ve all been sitting and waiting for the positive messages to come through, and we’ve held faith, maybe blind faith at some stages,’’ he said.
“It’s going to put a few smiles on faces, I reckon.
“It’s very hard to keep young blokes focused on a training program without positive messages and potential starting dates. This will give us something to talk about at training on Tuesday. We’ve been hanging on tenterhooks for weeks and weeks trying to keep everyone together and focused.’’
Ryan said he expected spectators to be allowed to attend games.
“Given what’s gone on in Melbourne in the past fortnight, 300 people at a game of local footy is the least of our troubles,’’ he said.
“If we keep some basic parameters of distancing, it’s going to be a pretty controlled environment, isn’t it?’’
Springvale Districts premiership player Georgie Angelopolous said: ”Very happy now and very keen to play. It’s been a long pre-season, so it’s nice to get some reward for it.’’
He said up until four weeks ago he thought local football stood no chance to getting going.
Angelopoulos said he was pleased the Southern league board had remained patient.
As for crowds, he said: “To me it doesn’t make sense that they won’t allow crowds. You look at the shopping centres, there’s no social distancing now. I think footy grounds are the perfect places to social distance. You could mark out 1.5m where people can stand and you’d still get a couple of hundred there comfortably.’’
Like all players in Southern, Angelopoulos and his Springvale Districts teammates will be playing for nothing, the league having joined Western Region and Essendon District in applying a zero salary cap.
Tullamarine coach David Connell said the news was “encouraging”.
But he said off-field factors such as the management of crowds and expectations on volunteers needed to be established.
The experienced mentor said EDFL clubs were desperate to know if the season would go ahead.
“It’s definitely shown at least a pathway with dates for the on-field part of it with contact training and when a competition could go ahead. I think that’s positive,” Connell said.
“The only thing that hasn’t been spoken about is what it will look like off-field.
“But I think it’s got to a point now where there’s that much speculation with what’s going on … even if it’s bad news, we now just all need the news.
“I had a few text messages (from players) and things like that and a few of the boys posted on our players’ page, saying ‘get ready’ and that sort of stuff. It certainly put a fair bit of excitement through the group.”
Spotswood coach and JJ Liston Trophy winner Anthony Eames said: “I know the WRFL is keen to get something going, so hopefully all the clubs within the WRFL are also keen.
“I know Spotswood is – we’re super-keen to get going.
“Hopefully we can get some sort of indication on a start date this week.
“I think there were a lot of texts going around (between the players on Sunday), but we’ve been training with the restrictions the past couple of weeks and we’ll continue to do that.’’
Southern league chief executive Lee Hartman said the news was “fantastic’’ and “exciting’’ for local leagues and players.
He said they now had a “road map to get things started’’.
“It’s great the State Government has come out and given us those two key dates, for contact training to resume on July 13 and play to resume a week later on July 20,’’ Hartman said.
“That would potentially allow us to start on July 25 if all goes well.’’
But Hartman said leagues would need to wait for AFL Victoria return-to-play guidelines in relation to crowds and the use of facilities.
“Before any decisions are made we need to work through that and see how it looks,’’ he said.
“July 25 is six weeks away from today. Those are discussions for the next few weeks, but it’s nice to get some clarity around the dates.
“We’ve been patient. We knew a window of opportunity was always going to present itself in July, whether it was mid-July or late in July.’’
The decision comes after community leagues were given approval from Cricket Victoria to extend their seasons into October.
It means leagues could kick off on August 1 and complete a nine-week home-and-away season and three-week finals series by the weekend of October 17-18.
Seventeen senior competitions across Victoria have cancelled their seasons, including Melbourne’s Northern and Eastern leagues.
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