The Shepparton District Junior Football League season begins with clashes across Saturday and Sunday in various grades, with Shepparton United youth girls coach Dean Walton keen for his charges to finally be back in action.
“This is our fourth week back in proper training and it's been really important more for their mental health than their physical health, just to see each other and be around each other again,” Walton said.
“With the girls footy this is our fourth year, but I think if we had stopped for a year we would have been almost starting from scratch again.
“But we'll be out there at 3 pm at Deakin (Reserve) on Sunday, in prime time, and it has been a very long and interrupted pre-season.”
The guidelines and restrictions in place for junior sport to return — which can be found on the social media pages of each competition — place added burden on volunteers, but it is work they are more than willing to undertake to have games played this year.
“I don't think I've followed the coronavirus numbers as closely as I have in the past week,” Walton said.
“Everyone needs footy back I think.
“We're sort of lucky with the differing rules for under-18s compared to adults.
“There's a bit of added pressure on us as a club on who polices that (the rules on crowds, hygiene and social distancing) and how we go about it, but I've spoken to the girls and they're really excited to be back.”
Shepparton Junior Soccer Association is also taking to the pitch and in one side a piece of family history will be made.
Shepparton South's under-10 side — coached by Sam Saracino — includes his daughter Alynta, who will run out for her debut match wearing the number 12 her father bore for the Southerners during his playing career.
“Twenty-seven years ago I last played,” Saracino said.
“It's come full circle, I'm back involved with the club after playing in the ‘80s and ‘90s, then being on the club committee and league committee and now I'm coaching my daughter.
“We've got three girls including Alynta in the side and they're really looking forward to Saturday against Kialla United.
“She goes to school at Kialla West, so will be playing against some of her schoolmates.
“We're all looking forward to being back out there.”
Goulburn Valley Hockey Association contests will grace the ‘Smurf Turf’ of McEwen Reserve as well, but without Echuca-Moama teams this season.
River Rats president Adam Thompson said the club held health concerns about travelling between Echuca and Shepparton.
“There were serious concerns about having people cross between communities,” Thompson said.
“We didn't have confidence in travelling to Shepparton or in Shepparton travelling to play us.
“When we started to see community transmission increase across the state we didn't want to be regularly travelling.”
While the club withdrew its junior side, there remained discussions about hopefully seeing a number of players take part in a combined team with Shepparton players.
“Some of the juniors were discussing taking part in a mixed side, but the changes to the border was the final straw,” he said.
“We have a number of players who make the journey from Moama, and with the 50 km rule meaning anyone who travelled to play would have issues when they went back to NSW, the decision was made not to pursue it any further.”
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