AFL Victoria has revealed the starting dates to league across Victoria.
Community AFL needs to understand they are not professionals, even though some lucky players get paid.
They need to realise this, and the season in 2020 needs to be cancelled.
It is just too hard for all volunteers in their local footy team.
One league in metropolitan Melbourne that is pushing ahead is the Essendon District Football League. They have set their provisional return dates for the season, with Premier Division starting on Saturday, August 1 and finishing October 17.
But there are questions around clubs’ involvement, and rumours that some clubs might break away and play a lighting premiership.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/AFL Media/Getty Images)
That is what is happening in metro Melbourne, but what about country football?
One league that seems unfit to play footy is the Ellinbank and District Football League, which covers the Warragul area and borders the West Gippsland football league.
“You can’t run country football and netball without any spectators and I can’t see Daniel Andrews and his chief health officer relaxing the restrictions to allow masses of spectators there,” league president Roger Gwynne told the ABC in May.
Country footy needs people. For example, one town that needs a crowd is the small town of Nyora, which plays in the Ellinbank comp. If they don’t have a crowd they will be affected greatly as the social side of country footy is lost and they will lose revenue as well.
To make matters worse, every league in Victoria has to follow the protocols that AFL Victoria set out on June 2 to stop the spread of COVID-19, such as disinfecting the ball after every goal and having player names on drink bottles.
For the AFL – which is a professional league – they have time, resources and money to do this. But small country or metro teams are not able to position 50 people around the ground to disinfect the ball for every game.
What about juniors, with the rule stating one parent can only come to the game and have sit in their car. That is pushing it, don’t you think?
I would love to see local footy back but with these rules, it is going to be difficult for local footy – and that is a shame.
Local sport is the lifeblood of a suburb, town or a person whose pastime is to swing past the club to catch up with friends.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
I agree with the points that you make, but what happens here (Tas) is when a competition or just one team goes into recess for a year or so, players tend to drift away. They either give the game away, move to another team or play some other sport. I could identify at least a dozen football clubs that went into recess for a year and haven’t been heard of since. I’d rather keep some sort of competition going, even just a lightning premiership as you say to keep local interest