THE local footy and netball season is just around the corner.
And for country communities, that represents a big step towards a return to normality after a year of lockdowns, cancellations, fear and anxiety.
As well as the return of sport, events such as country markets are also returning, giving our towns their heartbeat back.
With the vaccine rollout now beginning, our government must work with country communities to build on this positive vibe, albeit in a safe and rational way.
Part of that will be in ensuring return-to-play guidelines for local footy and netball are workable for club volunteers.
There needs to be a commonsense approach, with an understanding of how community sport works.
As it stands, the Sunraysia Football Netball League is concerned.
While AFL Victoria is still working with the Victorian Government on its COVID-19 return-to-play guidelines, the restrictions that were last updated on February 5 raised alarm bells with many country and suburban football leagues.
Among the many protocols, crowds were to be capped at 1000, excluding players, while only players and officials would be allowed on the playing surface.
There are question marks around how any of this will work.
Who will police it? Will head counts be required? Pre-game ticketing?
SFNL president Paul Mathieson works in Victoria Police and is still in the dark.
His role, like most other people involved in local footy and netball, is voluntary, so he gets the anxiety within clubs around these sorts of issues.
While many games in Sunraysia would not have 1000 at the venue at any one time, there are clubs like Ouyen United and Robinvale who traditionally draw big crowds. And then there are feature matches, including Good Friday and finals.
It’s understood that if a club or league expects a crowd of more than 1000 then it must apply to become a tier 2 community event, which may then require the game to be fully ticketed. As Mathieson explained, most clubs would not have the ability or infrastructure to set up such a system.
So is it the responsibility of the old bloke volunteering at the gate? Or a local copper to walk in during the third quarter and conduct a head count? And if the crowd has topped 1000, then what? Call the game off? Good luck with that.
As for allowing only players and officials on to the playing surface during breaks in the game, just how is that supposed to limit the dangers of spreading a virus?
If a spectator is at the footy, lining up at a canteen, or watching with their mates from the back of a ute, what is the difference in them walking across the ground at quarter-time to get a pie? Or from setting foot on a netball court, if the same rules apply to netball?
The bureaucrats need to better understand the nuances of country sport. How dads or mums having a kick of the footy with their kids at half-time is part of the day out. We must be careful not to lose those things.
Hopefully, common sense does prevail and some of these issues get ironed out before the local season kicks off in April.
The main priority is getting a season under way after the cancellation of last year, so the government and sporting bodies need to work together to make that happen.
Guidelines to keep us safe are necessary, but they need to be proportionate and practical for club volunteers, police, supporters and players.
It will be a welcome sight to drive past local footy grounds filled with kids at play on a Saturday morning. Bring on the first siren.
