THAT light at the end of the tunnel is starting to burn my eyes a little bit more.
It’s been such a wait and such a slog for everybody, but finally – FINALLY – community sport’s glorious return seems like it is just around the corner.
This summer season I think will be the most important for a long time, just to get the enjoyment back into competing.
Yes, top divisions in each sport will remain competitive. I know high-level cricketers and basketballers especially will have that mentality, as will footballers and netballers in pre-season training, and if you don’t think competitively in any type of motorsport it could be dangerous.
But now more than ever, just preaching participation and being part of a team and/or club environment is the most important factor.
There is always pressure on junior coaches, most of whom are merely volunteering their time, to strike the right balance between promoting enjoyment and concurrently providing the necessary development to help prepare youngsters to play at a higher level should they wish to do so.
Having chatted to a number of coaches, players, presidents and associated members of clubs and competitions across the past few months, there seems to be general consensus that trying to regain, and retain, players of all ages could be difficult after the drain of the constant stopping and starting of sporting competitions.
For every supposed ‘snap lockdown’ (because those exist), it was another scratch in the tally of lost motivation for many in a year that promised so much more.
That’s where the pure enjoyment of sport, and just being around people – something else we’ve longed for – has to be front and centre when we get back under way.
I am one person who scoffs at the notion that a particular sport is “just a game”, but maybe that is something we do need to remember to get back to somewhat normal.
Unfortunately rules and restrictions for venues and events are probably going to be a way of life for a while, but if we can get past that and return to that full-blown enjoyment of the sporting world without heaping too much pressure on performance, it will go a long way to getting the ball rolling once again.
Well done, Josh Cavallo
AN absolute tip of the cap to you, Josh Cavallo, for your bravery.
The Adelaide United defender has made headlines this week for coming out as gay while still playing professional soccer – currently the only player in the world to do so.
While some have acknowledged their sexual preferences post-career, it has been rare ground for any male player to do so while still competing, especially in team sports.
It has brought about an overwhelming flood of support from around the globe for the 21-year-old, with many of the top clubs, leagues and players all acknowledging the brave stance.
Antoine Griezmann, Gerard Pique, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford, Rio Ferdinand and Raphael Varane were just some of a number of present and former stars to show their support, while the majority of Premier League teams, as well as Barcelona and AC Milan did so as well.
Perhaps the most pertinent of messages came from former Spanish basketball icon Pau Gasol, who retweeted Cavallo’s post with “In 2021, this shouldn’t be news. Thank you for this step forward for the sport. Well said, @JoshuaCavallo!”
Which is completely true. This shouldn’t be a big deal at this point in our lives. But it is.
I’ve seen a number of comments underneath posts on social media supporting Cavallo, many saying “who cares” or “non-story, move on”. Again, it shouldn’t be news that this is the case, but the fact
it is such a rarity, and especially hasn’t happened often in Australian sport, means it should absolutely be recognised and commended.
To me, most of those comments I’ve seen reek of sports fans sticking their heads in the sand.
I will say 90 per cent of what I’ve read has been supportive, but as with anything it’s often a vocal minority that gets heard more regularly.
Hopefully in time this won’t be such a big deal, but for it to be the case, you need brave souls like Cavallo sticking their neck out and potentially taking the pot shots for it.
As Cavallo said himself: “All I want to do is play football and be treated equally. Trying to perform at the best of your ability and to live this double life, it’s exhausting, it’s something I don’t want anyone to experience.”
Good on you, mate.
