AFL set to delay naming restart date as negotiations with states continue

The AFL will need to convince medical authorities around the country that its COVID-19 protocol is effectively virus-proof.

Adelaide Crows player Ben Keays training in isolation at Giffin Park in Brisbane on Thursday. Picture: AAP

The AFL will need to convince medical authorities around the country that its COVID-19 protocol is effectively virus-proof to be able to resume the ­season.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan had been expected to next week outline starting dates for training and also for the 17-round season to resume, but admitted on Thursday that satisfying the requirements of governments across Australia could delay an announcement about restarting the 2020 season.

The AFL is preparing to brief the 18 clubs on Monday about the latest developments, with the prospect teams will be placed into hubs to restart the season almost certain.

The league will go over the latest guidelines regarding health protocols clubs must follow in order to receive approval from the chief medical officers of each state.

“We have looked at all states and we are corresponding with them in various forms finalising the medical protocols that go with it,” McLachlan told Triple M. “We have been clear that the health and safety and wellbeing of everyone involved is our priority, then obviously that extends into the community. It includes that social leadership.

“Everything we do will be endorsed by relevant government authorities and I am optimistic and hope the chief health officers (provide approval) and that is the plan we are going by.

“Whether it takes two weeks, three weeks to get there, we are progressing. We are now starting the active dialogue with the relevant governments and where we land will become clearer (within) 10 days.”

Exactly where those hubs will be, and in what format the initial rounds of the season will be played, continues to be modelled.

McLachlan said on Thursday that every state had claims to hosting a hub, should the 18-side competition be split into three groups of six.

Sydney chief executive Tom Harley joined his Giants counterpart Dave Matthews in nominating the NSW capital as an ideal location. The Olympic precinct, which is where the Giants are based, would satisfy accommodation requirements. Sydney has logical venues in the SCG and Olympic Park.

Optus Stadium in Perth is the most recent major stadium to host the AFL, but the WACA would need to be reconfigured to serve as a second venue. In Queensland, the Gabba and the Gold Coast’s home ground at Metricon Stadium are options.

Adelaide Oval is within walking distance of the CBD while the MCG and Marvel Stadium are obvious options in Victoria. The state can also offer various regional locations as potential hubs.

The hub concept will cost the AFL tens of millions of dollars given clubs and officials will need to be accommodated for a period of at least six weeks. This time covers quarantine windows, training periods and the span for matches, with teams playing a series of games in a short space of time.

There was an initial pushback from players and some administrators regarding the introduction of hubs. But concerns have eased as more information has become available.

Players continue to train in isolation at the moment, among them Adelaide rookie Ben Keays, who is working out in Brisbane and keen to make the most of his second chance at football having joined the Crows after being cut by the Lions in 2019.

Matthews, the Giants chief executive, raised the prospect of some clubs being able to resume group training in the near future as states ease restrictions at different times. But the AFL is determined to ensure every club receives equal opportunity when it comes to preparing for a reboot during a training window of between three to four weeks.

“That is news to me. I don’t know about that. The plan generally is that we will set a return date and all clubs will go back at the same time,” McLachlan said.

“What the players, through that renegotiation that they did, we know they … are looking at playing off a very short (training block) of three to four weeks and then we can get going.”