Covid Victoria: Border footy leagues still locked out of play

Country football games along the border of Victoria and NSW were abandoned over the weekend, with leagues calling for more consistency around Covid rules.

Border footy leagues have had to hold off on returning to play over confusion around the border bubble rules. Picture: AAP Image/Joe Castro

Community sport was allowed to return in Victoria this weekend, but some leagues on the border of Victoria and NSW have had to push back their start date.

Citing uncertainty around the border bubble and restrictions around spectators, Ovens and Murray, Upper Murray, Golden Rivers and Murray league clubs all cancelled their senior football and netball games for July 31.

They are hoping to be able to hold games this coming weekend, or once restrictions have eased.

“The ban on spectators in Victoria and the uncertainty over travel restrictions within the border bubble does not make it viable to proceed,” Murray league general manager Dale Norman said.

Mr Norman said they were considering their options to either play all games in NSW so that crowds were allowed, or play games as scheduled and the Victorian clubs would miss out on the benefits of having spectators, which he said was not ideal.

“The Victorian Government has shown utter contempt for regional areas where there has been no cases of Covid. The hypocrisy is insane,” he said.

“Metro NSW is having over a hundred cases a day yet in regional NSW schools remain open, pubs, clubs and cafes continue to operate and sport has not been hindered with crowds in attendance. The Murray Football Netball League would just like to see some consistency in protocols across the border areas.”

Upper Murray operations manager Nadia Edwards said they were having similar issues with the border bubble, namely having players outside those zones not able to play.

“Our latest dilemma for us is that we have a team, Tumbarumba AFNC, who are in NSW. They have a number of players from Wagga Wagga who are outside the border bubble and cannot travel to Victoria, and vice-versa for Melbourne players who can’t travel to NSW,” she said.

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