Local footy set to resume but without spectators

Local football clubs are set to discuss key financial issues surrounding a return to play as local sport gets active again.

Mordialloc’s Harrison Edwards on the move against St Pauls in the Southern league this season. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Local footy is coming, but crowds will be on the outer.

With community sport today given the green light to return — but without spectators for at least the next two weeks — clubs are concerned about the financial impact it will have on them.

AFL South East chief operating officer Shaun Connell said MPNFL clubs would meet on Tuesday night but the plan was for the season to resume this weekend.

“At this stage fixtures will proceed as is,’’ he said.

“But there’s obviously a conversation around the impact of no crowds.

“What we’ve got to do is work with the clubs around how to reduce the impact of the financial implications.

“That’s a discussion we need to have with clubs.’’

Bonbeach players sing the song after a win. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Red Hill president Graham Sherry said his club, scheduled to host successive home games over the next two weekends, would lose a significant amount of money without crowds.

He said it would take his club’s loss of revenue to $100,000 this season.

“Not only does it cost us all that lost revenue, it costs us to play,’’ he said.

“But our players are really keen to play.

“If we can do that we will do it.’’

Southern league chief executive officer Lee Hartman acknowledged the financial strain on clubs, who will miss out on match-day incomes from food and drink sales, raffles and functions.

Hartman said the league would be encouraging clubs not to pay players in the next two weeks.

Some went down that path when football resumed without crowds after the first Covid disruption.

“It’s going to be hard on the clubs with no income for two weeks,’’ Hartman said.

“Most clubs have got one home and one away game. Hopefully if they don’t pay players it should offset it.’’

Hartman said Southern would pick up on scheduled games and retain finals formats.

Division 1 has four rounds to play and the other divisions have three rounds.

“There will end up being 15 rounds of Division 1 and 14 rounds of the others. We think that’s enough games to run a normal finals series,’’ Hartman said, adding that relegation and promotion would still apply.