The state's peak governing body for rural and remote sport said yesterday regional communities only wanted sport back in their lives when health experts deem it safe to resume.
Regional Sports Victoria (RSV) chair Felicity Williams said sporting clubs leaders did not want to risk the health of their communities.
“While we are all missing our sport, we're hearing from clubs in our network that they only want sport to return when health experts deem it is safe to do so,” Williams said.
“Our early conversations with these leaders have highlighted that they do not want to put the health of their teams and communities at risk by returning to the courts, ovals, pools and fields prematurely.
“Some professional codes will be returning in a matter of weeks, which is concerning for the example it could set.
“It shouldn’t be one rule for them and another for the rest.”
With a network of more than 6000 rural and remote sporting clubs under its governance, RSV has had to handle helping its stakeholders through the bush fire crisis last summer, to the current coronavirus pandemic.
As the public health crisis continues, Williams said regional sporting clubs had put their time in lockdown to valuable use.
“Many clubs are using this time to reflect on how they can do sport differently,” she said.
“Some are busy with strategic planning, while others are upskilling their volunteers.
“And we will continue to make contact with our clubs so that we can truly represent the needs of regional Victorians.”
The recent urging of safety from RSV comes after the announcement of its first general manager, Cassandra Hadson.
After a two-year project, RSV said on April 28 that Hadson, a former Netball Victoria relationship manager, had been elected to the role.
The position was created after support from the state government to position RSV as the peak governing body for community and recreational sport across regional Victoria.
“We are delighted to have a person with such strong credentials as Ms Hadson join our team,” Williams said.
“Cassandra has displayed great leadership, innovation and ability to engage with key stakeholders during her working career.
“These are ideal qualities we were seeking as we shift RSV from a network to a more formal peak body.”
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