Local footy coaches reveal impact of cancelled season amid coronavirus
As suburban clubs fight day and night to raise funds to ensure their survival, several coaches have opened up on the pandemic’s impact on players, supporters — and themselves, while lifting the lid on rivals’ tactics to poach players in uncertain times.
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Suburban football grounds have fallen silent.
The usual cacophony of noise and hustle and bustle has been replaced by an eerie quiet amid the coronavirus crisis.
The anxiety and uncertainty members of football clubs across Melbourne experienced in the lead up to the cancellation of the 2020 season has not disappeared.
Myriad questions remain about the future as clubs fight day and night to raise funds to ensure their survival.
Coaches have had no option but to watch on as months of hard labour and preparation for a season goes to waste.
The enormous sacrifices they and others in club land make to build a competitive unit for six months of toil is often underestimated.
What cannot be underrated, however, is the toll the pandemic has taken on people.
It is impossible to ignore the horror spread by the deadly virus worldwide.
But, in community football, people have also been left with a void.
Club stalwarts can no longer catch up of a weekend to regurgitate classic yarns, coaches have lost the adrenaline rush that provides a distraction from everyday life and players are left without the bond of mateship inevitably cultivated through local sporting clubs and the chance to climb the premiership dais on grand final day.
“The real worry – and this is for players and coaches – is the ones that haven’t got anything else to sink their teeth into,” Blackburn coach Brendan Allen said.
“My work (as a builder) has gone ahead in leaps and bounds a little bit, so I’ve been able to immerse myself in that.
“But there are guys sitting around on a weekend when they’d normally be coaching or playing footy who have got nothing else to do and all they can do is sit at home. That’s a bit of a concern.
“You know the people to reach out and have a chat to because they obviously come across your radar from time to time.
“Everyone seems to be OK, but this second wave might be a different story, which is a real concern.”
How have mentors in metropolitan leagues handled the pressure?
Under normal circumstances, the skill-set required of a coach at local level is wide-ranging.
They have to be a part-time psychologist and welfare officer while also dealing with strength and conditioning, game sense and player management.
Then there’s game plans, tactics, recruiting and building a rapport underpinned by respect with their playing group.
The coronavirus curve-ball gave them a new set of health protocols to deal with, such as training in small groups and non-contact sessions as hopes of a season faded.
While undertaking all of those commitments, they have to stay strong in adversity and lead with purpose.
If they’re flat, how will their players stay upbeat?
It is not unusual for a coach to work 40 hours a week at his club alongside his usual day job.
Moonee Valley mentor Shanon Carroll said the period of training without knowing if the season would go ahead proven “extremely draining”, both at home and the club.
He said he was left “riding a wave of emotions” as the ever-changing landscape took hold.
“Even going to training in our groups of 20, you try to put on a smile and a brave face because the guys look for that (positive) body language from you,” Carroll said.
“But at the same time, you want to give them hope but not false hope.
“Once it (coronavirus) hit, it was sort of a realisation of how big this thing really is.”
The drama started in March, with the Victorian Amateur Football Association, Essendon District, Western Region, Eastern, Northern and Southern leagues deciding to postpone their seasons until May 31.
They held regular meetings with AFL Victoria and optimism grew and then dipped.
But as the coronavirus cases went up and the chances of crowds evaporated, hopes of a season tumbled.
The Northern and Eastern leagues were the first to pull the pin on June 3 before the Western Region and Essendon District followed later that month.
The VAFA bowed out on July 1 and Southern followed two days later.
While all suburban leagues were expected to make the same decision, the fact they did so at different times caused complications.
Talk of a permit system for player transfers never came to fruition, but it caused added stress for coaches.
“I’ve had some blues on the phone with footy managers from amateur clubs and country clubs who were targeting our better players,” said EFL coach Allen.
“And also our vulnerable players, being 21 or 22-year-olds who have been injured and just want to play footy.
“It’s really challenging.”
And the pursuit of players has not ceased despite the fact leagues are yet to make decisions on their salary caps for next season.
AFL Victoria is set to slash the player payments limit for the next three years, but that has not stopped some clubs.
Allen said his players were still getting contacted and offered “significant amounts of money.”
“We don’t know what to offer our players yet, so I don’t know how they know what to offer players,” he said.
Jimmy House’s players have been his priority in an extraordinary year.
House steered North Heidelberg for one year before taking the top job at EDFL side Airport West and dedicates more time than most to player welfare.
He spent a season out of football in 2019 after stepping down as the Bulldogs coach in January last year.
House, who has been open about his own mental health battles, said some of his players had lost their jobs, only exacerbating a difficult period.
He said it was vital to have a “really good balance, whether that’s work life or other interests”.
House is also embarking on a new business venture with AFL development coaches Andrew Raines and Scott Borlace to help local mentors boost their knowledge in several areas via an online platform.
“I learnt my lesson coaching North Heidelberg to not to get too caught up in (football),” he said.
“I’ve taken to reading and study to keep myself busy.
“I’ve learnt to disconnect basically, accept it for what it is and turn my focus elsewhere.
“Not completely turn away from footy, but I’ve taken this time to upskill and talk to my networks and look at how I can evolve and get better as a coach.”
Corey McCall, who was preparing for his first year in charge at WRFL club Altona, said the constant uncertainty proved challenging.
In addition to having to become accustomed to his new playing group during pre-season, McCall’s hours were cut in his full-time job.
“Football does offer a break away from your work life,” he said.
“I’m very passionate about football and coaching.
“To have it stripped away from you at the start with lockdown and then being drip fed bits and pieces back and getting excited (about possibly returning), it’s a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Trying to obviously stay connected with the players and have those discussions and give feedback, it’s really hard to do (with restrictions). That was probably the thing I struggled with the most.”
Former AFL player Adam Contessa was looking forward to his second year in charge at Sunshine.
He described the period as “really strange”.
“That second season, you start to get to know a lot of the players and you build in plans and structures where you start to see a bit of growth and understanding,” Contessa said.
“Now we’ve sort of gone back a step.”
The training protocols also made a tough job all the more difficult.
“It meant you couldn’t address 35 blokes as a whole, so we couldn’t utilise that time to have a team meeting,” Contessa said.
“That was the one thing I probably found most difficult.
“You couldn’t actually use a period to train and work on certain areas because you weren’t allowed to do a lot of those things.”
Controversially given his marching orders after one season at Northern Saints, Brett Kennerley was excited to steer VAFA outfit Westbourne Grammarians this season.
The fact he assembled what he rated the best senior group he has had at his disposal gave reason to be bullish about his team’s prospects.
But Kennerley said he felt most for the countless people who volunteered their time to give their club the best chance of success.
“I think everyone in the footy industry – from presidents down to guys who do the strapping and run water for us – will be feeling the effects from just being excluded from something they’ve done forever,” he said.
“Coaches would definitely be in that, I have no doubt.
“I’ve got a pretty big group of coaches with me as well, and they’re always hanging out to be involved in doing something.
“It’s definitely not just the players – it’s everyone at the club. Especially from an admin point of view, you’ve got guys who have put in a massive amount of work in the off-season just to get the players on the track.
“For nothing to happen, it’s a lot of energy wasted and family time wasted to not get to do anything. It’s frustrating for everyone, but it is what it is.”
For Allen and Blackburn, it is hard not to consider the missed opportunity.
The Burners came up short against powerhouse Vermont in the 2019 Division 1 decider and now have to wait even longer for a chance to atone.
“It’s frustrating on the back of where we finished up last year, really contending for a flag, and you don’t get the opportunity to improve and take the next step and finally get one in your pocket,” Allen said.
“We’ve got to make sure we stick together and start the momentum again.”
But Allen can’t help but think of those who are the heartbeat of any football club – the ardent supporter.
“I’ve got some of the old stalwarts calling me and just wanting to talk footy. They’re just missing it,” he said.
“Especially with our demographic where they’re old and retired and the footy club is a reason to get out bed, it’s really tough and it’s worrying to be honest.”
Melbourne may have come to a halt, but football clubs will one day again act as a safe place for their people to barrack for their team, share stories, laugh and cry.
There is always someone to lean on.
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