BUSINESSES and organisations have been forced to think outside the square to re-emerge from the coronavirus lockdowns.
They’ve had to be innovative, agile and find an inner strength to simply roll up the sleeves and get on with it.
Football and netball clubs in Sunraysia are no different.
But after the SFNL this week made the call to reboot the 2020 season with a July 25 start date, five club committees have decided to opt out.
Clubs had two choices: put a line through their season and try and reignite their clubs in six months’ time. Or do it now, which in my opinion might be the smart play.
While the immediate challenges of getting up and running by July 25 will be difficult, by waiting until next year the task of reconnecting and re-engaging with players, volunteers and supporters will be far greater. For some clubs, it could be a bridge too far.
Yes local clubs have done an admirable job in remaining connected through social media during these extraordinary times, but without meaningful engagement those connections will continue to fade.
Habits will change, people will drift away.
And players who have found their fitness levels have dropped over the past three months are unlikely to be fitter and health¬ier in another six months’ time.
For businesses, as soon as restrictions have been lifted enough to reopen, they have immediately started the baby steps back. No business could afford to wait out the virus and simply reboot next year.
The same premise should apply to sporting clubs or organisations, who have been given a green light.
While I understand that many players, coaches, volunteers and administrators may have lost their mojo and felt flattened during this pandemic, it is incumbent on club leaders to help pick their people up off the canvas.
Committees need to ask themselves why their football and netball clubs exist in the first place.
For mine, it is about participation and community.
And those things take on critical import¬ance right now after months of isolation, which has impacted greatly in areas such as mental health.
TikToks and fun videos on Instagram and Facebook have served their purpose as a virtual connection while we were in lockdown, but club committees need to focus on their real roles now.
For its part, the SFNL understands the ¬financial concerns of clubs and has vowed to support them through this challenging year.
The league has cash reserves for a rainy day and knows it’s been hosing down in 2020. The pockets will be dug into to help out where possible.
The coronavirus is unfortunately something we all now need to live with and manage. It will be here next year, the year after.
Do the clubs who are baulking at returning this year plan to hibernate until there is a vaccine? If there is ever a vaccine?
After the SFNL made its decision this week, I received a number of messages from footy mates across the state saying they would travel up here to watch some games, as their own leagues had been cancelled.
They are crying out for some country footy and are envious of the opportunity. Local clubs have already been contacted by players from other leagues and even from interstate looking for a game.
I still believe SFNL clubs have the chance to put on something special this year. To put their name up in lights as a competition with a can-do attitude.
That all starts with club leaders adopting a glass-half-full approach and uniting for the good of the game and their communities. My fear is some of those who stay in hibernation may not wake up.
