SOCIAL outlets are rare when you’ve got three little kids.
But this year has hammered home just how much we value connectivity with those outside our immediate families, or, in 2020 speak, our “bubbles”.
My escape has always been sport, and given my footy days are long gone, in recent times it’s been a midweek game of basketball.
Most of our team are on the other side of 40, so the focus is very much on the “social” side of sport, and it’s frustrating to be denied our weekly runaround.
But, for old has-beens like us, what is far worse is knowing that local kids are still being banned from the court.
One of my teammates is Mildura Basketball Association (MBA) president Leigh Anderson, who is beyond frustrated at what Premier Daniel Andrews is doing to the sport.
He had hoped to see the State Government change restrictions on indoor sport last Sunday to allow juniors to return, but instead they remain in limbo.
And with time running out, it is now likely that the MBA will have to put a line through the rest of 2020.
The MBA is sweating on Andrews’ announcement tomorrow, when further restrictions are set to be eased across the state. If Andrews doesn’t deliver, it could be that the summer season, which is the big one for the MBA, can’t begin until February.
“From an association point of view, this has the chance of decimating basketball in this region,” Leigh said.
“We fail to see – or it certainly hasn’t been explained — what the practical difference between indoor and outdoor sports is, given that stadiums have eight to 10 metre-high roofs.”
Leigh said when restrictions were eased earlier this year Basketball Victoria did a “power of work” to meet the health guidelines.
The MBA had met all the restrictions and the COVID-safe guidelines and was ready to go.
There was to be a limit of 50 people for each court, with 20 minutes between games to clear the courts and ensure all contact areas were wiped down.
The MBA spent thousands of dollars on appropriate signs, sanitising equipment and COVID-19 safety officer training for staff.
Other states have returned to sport following similar guidelines to what Basketball Victoria has implemented.
But sadly this is the state we are in under Andrews in Victoria.
All through this year, local sporting associations have been willing to sacrifice senior sport to ensure juniors could play.
But despite no coronavirus cases in regions such as Mildura since April, the government has refused to play ball.
Fortunately, some sports have now been given the green light to return.
But others – like basketball – remain sidelined indefinitely, depending on the Premier’s shifting goal posts.
Let’s hope tomorrow that commonsense prevails and our kids are allowed to play again.
