Junior footy 2020: South Metro juniors can season, while Yarra pushing on
Lockdown restrictions have caused a junior footy league to blow the last siren on the ailing 2020 season. This leaves just one league holding the ball.
South East
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The South Metro Junior Football League has blown the final siren on its season, leaving Yarra as the last metropolitan community football competition standing.
The SMJFL was holding on to hope of getting in a short season but it pulled the pin late last week.
It said the State Government’s COVID-19 restrictions and the time before they would be eased meant the league “can no longer offer its traditional football season this year’’.
But the league said it would discuss with its clubs the prospect of running some football programs when it was safe to do so.
Options include lightning carnivals, AFL 9s, and school holiday games/round robin/intraclub matches.
“The resolution that we are no longer able to provide a traditional season format in 2020 has not been reached easily,’’ SMJFL chief executive Sarah Loh said.
“We understand that football brings so much joy to the kids and their families who support and watch them. The impact of COVID-19 has been felt widely across our community, and we understand that football and fitness are crucial for mental health and wellbeing. The league will continue to work with its member clubs to support the kids in our region to play football in the future.’’
The Yarra Junior Football League’s stance remains unchanged.
It said its season had been postponed, not cancelled.
“We haven’t changed our message,’’ chief executive Tim Murray told Leader this morning.
“We regard it as very important, if it’s possible, that we can give the boys and girls football.
“We recognise the pain and suffering in the community. We’re a community organisation. We’re just as exposed to it as anybody. But we think nothing is served by cancelling if we don’t absolutely have to. And at the moment we don’t absolutely have to.’’
But Murray added that the league didn’t want to be seen as “unrealistically optimistic’’.
“We don’t have this sunny disposition that ignores the world,’’ he said.
“We’re anxious about our community firstly. Football is second. We still retain the hope we can get some fixtures competition, and if it’s not a fixtures match our clubs will still be keen to run training and practice sessions.’’
He said no club had pulled out of the season.
The Associated Public Schools (APS) football season is also on hold rather than scrapped.
Before stage three restrictions kicked in the APS had set out an eight-week season that was to start this Saturday, July 25.
Schools had been split into two pools to play five matches followed by three “redraw’’ rounds.
“Obviously the stage three restrictions won’t be lifted until at least August 20 so that could leave us with three, perhaps four weeks — depending on schools’ availability, because some have school holidays earlier — to play some friendlies and get some of our traditional rival matches out of the way,’’ APS executive officer Luke Soulos said.
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