The first steps to getting sport in Victoria back on its feet were taken yesterday after an announcement from the Premier Daniel Andrews.
In a press conference yesterday morning, the Premier announced the easing of restrictions in Victoria and from a sport standpoint, the maximum gathering of people now allowed outdoors was lifted to 10.
Andrews said outdoor recreational activities had been given the tick of approval, allowing Victorians to play golf, kick the footy and go fishing and hiking for the first time in weeks.
However, gyms and other inside sport are set to remain closed.
It will have Victoria join the rest of the states and territories in the country in allowing golf to be played under social distancing measures.
The new restrictions will be in place as of midnight tonight.
“Subject to the 10-person rule . . . if you are sharing equipment, you should try and minimise that,” Andrews said.
“But if it's unavoidable given the nature of the sport, then you should hand sanitise, clean equipment, all those quite logical things.
“You can kick a footy in the park, it can't be more than 10 of you and you should keep your distance.”
In his much-anticipated press conference, Andrews also said professional sporting clubs would be able to begin training tomorrow.
“We have agreed to a set of arrangements that will allow training for AFL, NRL and other professional sports to resume from midnight (Tuesday),” he said.
“Training resuming paves the way for footy to be back and I think we all want that, provided it's safe, appropriate and can be done in a cautious way and I'm confident that it can be.”
But it's not all good news for country football in Victoria.
In a statement released following the Andrews Government's announcement of the easing of restrictions, AFL Victoria said no official training should take place.
“On the back of today’s state government announcement around easing some restrictions, AFL Victoria’s position around training is that no sanctioned training should take place until further notice,” the statement read.
“AFL Victoria will seek clarity from the state government around what today’s announcement means for community football and be in contact in due course.”
AFL Victoria said a range of considerations including health and safety had to be thrashed out before training at local level was allowed.
“A number of considerations around health and safety protocols and insurance need to be worked through prior to any training being sanctioned,” the statement read.
“AFL Victoria will provide a return to play protocol for community leagues and clubs once it is approved by the state government.”