AFL prepares for 30-day shutdown

The AFL competition would be suspended for 30 days should a player test positive to coronavirus.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has said the competition will shut down for 30 days if a player tests positive for COVID-19. Picture: Getty Images

The AFL will shut down for 30 days should a player test positive for COVID-19, the code’s chief executive Gillon McLachlan announced on Friday.

The change of protocol, extending the potential shutdown from 14 days to 30 for any positive test, will logically make it more difficult to complete the 2020 season, even in its abridged 17-round format.

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The opening match between Richmond and Carlton drew an increase of more than 200,000 television viewers from last year, though the lack of fans will cost the Tigers up to $1.5m.

But every match that can be completed in 2020 is critical to the bottom line of clubs as the competition grapples with how best to survive the economic consequences of the pandemic.

The chief executives of all 18 clubs were provided with an update in a nationwide teleconference with the AFL on Friday before Collingwood’s clash with the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

Significant cost-cutting measures that will affect the livelihoods of league staff members have already begun.

Players and coaches have been asked to accept pay cuts of 20 per cent, while the AFL executive will also reduce wages. Staff members, too, will be required to consider salary reductions while also working through leave provisions as clubs each seek to save between $5m and $10m.

Every match at Marvel Stadium, which could prove a critical asset for the competition in the crisis, will be played with the roof open to comply with the latest federal government restrictions.

The AFL has eased crowd restrictions slightly to ensure the parents of players making their debuts or those playing significant milestone matches can be in attendance.

The Weekend Australian understands not all clubs are in agreement with a move to press governments for funding at a time when the entire country is in financial peril. McLachlan refused to divulge details of discussions related to the AFL’s survival plan when quizzed after the revelation from Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, who is a member of the newly convened crisis committee.

“I don’t think it is appropriate to comment other than to say that clearly we are making sure we have liquidity,” McLachlan said.

The AFL introduced new protocols involving social distancing between players during matches after Richmond defeated Carlton by 24 points at the MCG.

After several footballers were seen sharing water bottles, McLachlan raised the matter with AFL football operations manager Steve Hocking. The league responded by advising clubs on Friday that players should also refrain from high-fiving and shaking hands, amid other measures, in the current climate.

In other social distancing measures, clubs continue to split training groups into smaller and smaller teams in the hopes of minimising the risk of spreading the virus internally.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said the Tigers and other clubs were already devising strategies that would enable them to cope with playing matches at increased frequency if required.

The AFL is still to outline how a mini-draft, which would allow clubs to add players to their lists to cope with the irregular demands of the season, will work.

One leading executive pondered the wisdom of recruiting footballers from outside the system in the current climate, given clubs have been severing ties with players aligned to their state-based affiliates as a health precaution.

The AFL has added the International Cup, which was to be held in late July, to the list of competitions or programs that have been suspended or postponed.