Darwin soccer makes history as first sport in Australia to welcome back crowds
DARWIN soccer will be the first sport in Australia — possibly the world — to welcome back crowds on Friday night when the Top End’s top soccer leagues will make history
DARWIN soccer will find itself at the centre of the sporting universe on Friday night.
Darwin soccer will be the first sport in Australia — possibly the world — to welcome back crowds when the Top End’s top soccer leagues will make history.
Football NT will showcase men’s and women’s Premier League matches on the green fields of Darwin Football Stadium after three months of exile due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the seasons resume with a double-header from 6:30pm, they will be the first sporting competitions in the country to welcome back spectators.
They might even be the first in the world.
Of all the leagues that shut down because of coronavirus, a few such as Germany’s Bundesliga, Portugal’s Primeira Liga and South Korea’s K League, are back in action — but all are playing behind closed doors without spectators.
One maverick league, the Belarus Premier League, stood alone though and bizarrely kept playing — in front of crowds — during the entire time of the pandemic so, technically, they never shut out spectators and never had to welcome them back.
Football NT chief executive Bruce Stalder praised the NT Government, frontline health workers and football’s participants for being the first round ball competition to resume on-field hostilities across Australia‘s community leagues.
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“Sport is an incredibly important social mechanism that is great for mental health, physical health and family health,’’ Stalder said.
Renowned Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill and ABC Grandstand’s Shannon Byrne will provide live commentary of the NT Yappas and Hellenic women’s game and the Mindil Aces-Hellenic men’s clash.
The “new normal’’ in football kicks off with three women’s games from 5pm.
The highlight is Australia’s only indigenous side, the NT Yappas, tackling reigning champions Hellenic at 6.30pm.
Yappas midfielder Clessae Desatge said the stakes were high for both sides in a game that will be live streamed on SBS Television.
“We’re fit and really excited to be back playing and we’re confident we can beat the champions,’’ she added.
Last season’s men’s grand finalists Mindil Aces restart their season against Hellenic in an 8.30pm game that will be live streamed on SBS Television across Australia and parts of Asia.
Men’s champions Casuarina tackle Port Darwin in a 7pm game at DFS.
Their captain Gordon Periera said the players had been through individual fitness programs in the lead-up.
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“We’re all looking forward to playing after the enforced break,’’ he told the NT News.
“We’ve still got our core group of players, plus a couple of new ones we’ll show to the public on match day.’’
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