EDFL 2020: Strathmore president John Elliott discusses coronavirus impact
An EDFL president expects clubs to face a tougher battle beyond 2020 to stay afloat and says the push to return to the field should not come at the expense of health.
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Strathmore president John Elliott says clubs will feel the financial strain of the coronavirus crisis acutely beyond this year as they fight for survival.
The EDFL and other metropolitan competitions have delayed the start of their seasons until at least May 31 and club figures are privately expecting a line to be ruled through the campaign as a result of the pandemic.
Elliott said he had fielded “30-40 phone calls a day” in recent weeks but he has maintained perspective, declaring the push to return to the field should not come at the expense of health.
“If the season goes ahead, we all want to play some sort of football, but at what cost? I don’t mean financially but health wise,” Elliott said.
“Moving forward in the next two years, I think they’re going to be harder years than this year. If we don’t play footy this year, clubs don’t incur costs and the league will have a huge amount of costs.
“Salary cap, points systems … a lot of things need to be reviewed for the next two years, as the AFL is reviewing theirs.
“It’s not going to be the same anymore, which could be a good thing because sometimes it’s good to have a restructure, a cleanout and for people to come to terms with what’s really important in life.”
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Strathmore is one of the EDFL’s most powerful clubs, having qualified for Premier Division finals in 10 of the past 11 seasons and boasting a strong junior arm.
But while confident his club will survive, Elliott is aware the Mores are not immune from the issues sweeping the globe.
“How we come out on the other end, I don’t know,” he said.
“I think most clubs will get through it. It’s going to be a lot of hard work from volunteers.
“We work hard enough now, but to rebuild a whole competition, it’s a massive amount of work from everyone.”
While there is some hope of a reduced season, the fact the six metropolitan leagues took just days to move their proposed start dates back four weeks is an indication of the battle ahead.
Elliott said players would need to consider the potential impact on their families and others if they were cleared to resume this year.
“If there is football, we think it should be up to the individual clubs whether they want to play this year,” he said.
“If we got a nine-game competition going … if anyone is playing each other and reports the next day with the virus, those two teams need to then stand aside for two weeks.
“Your nine games becomes seven – it just doesn’t work.”
Elliott said the unprecedented situation called for a logical approach.
“You don’t deal with it thinking football – you deal with it thinking life and death and the benefits of health,” he said.
“The football to me is irrelevant, in the sense of whether we play or not.”
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