Local footy 2020: WRFL cancels senior season amid coronavirus
Half of Melbourne’s six metropolitan senior leagues have ruled a line through their seasons after a third major competition pulled the plug on its 2020 campaign. But there’s still hope for its juniors.
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The Western Region Football League has become the third metropolitan competition to cancel its senior season amid the coronavirus crisis.
The decision was ratified at a board meeting on Monday night and covers the WRFL’s senior, reserves, under-18.5 and women’s competitions.
The league remains hopeful of staging a truncated junior season in 2020.
In a statement, the WRFL said “recent feedback from senior clubs showed a shift in sentiment toward the staging of a senior season”.
“A significant majority of senior clubs conceded that their club’s longer-term viability would be best served by not competing in a senior premiership season,” it said.
Earlier this month, 22 of the league’s 25 senior men’s clubs favoured a season but optimism has faded in recent days.
The State Government has delayed the easing of restrictions after a spike in coronavirus cases in some areas, putting the season in jeopardy.
Last week’s announcement that clubs could start contact training from July 13 and competitions could kick off from July 20 is also under review until next month.
WRFL clubs also had concerns about the “health and safety of members and patrons and the inability to effectively manage crowds to comply with current social distancing rules and crowd restrictions at open public reserves”.
Frustratingly for leagues, clubs and players, the government and AFL Victoria have released no information about crowds.
“The WRFL has maintained a view throughout this process that 34 clubs went into 2020, and we need to do whatever we can to ensure 34 clubs come out,” league boss Matthew Duck said.
“Clubs expressed concerns about their financials, older volunteers, crowd restrictions and an overall inability to manage crowds at open public spaces.
“We must make decisions based on what is best in both the short and the long-term.
“The information we have gathered from our clubs together with the latest medical advice has determined that cancelling the senior football competitions in 2020 is the only viable option.”
Powerhouse Deer Park did not wait for the league’s decision, pulling the plug on Friday.
The Lions cited the health and safety of their members as the key reason behind their decision, while members of the coaching staff and playing list had been advised not to attend their workplaces since training resumed.
“I can assure you, the decision was not made lightly,” president Matthew Pratt said.
“It was made factually with lots of information and we’re all very comfortable with the decision.”
The WRFL said it remained “open to exploring club interest in a shortened, more informal opt-in/opt-out offering for these groups should circumstances allow later this year”.
The league is hoping to stage a nine-round junior season, starting on July 26.
The Northern and Eastern leagues cancelled their senior competitions last month, while the Essendon District will make a decision on Thursday.
The Victorian Amateur Football Association is prepared to wait until July to make a call, while Southern league chief executive Lee Hartman said on Monday his competition was not “throwing in the towel” just yet.
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