Community sport to return following easing of restrictions in regional Victoria

By Aydin Payne

Aug 9, 2021

There will be no sleeping in this weekend for players in the Goulburn Valley League with action to return.

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The news comes after the Victorian Government announced community sport could return from Monday at 11.59pm.

The league will resume with round 14 matches on Saturday.

The state government's decision to ease restrictions in regional Victoria is a welcoming one after the region spent last weekend in lockdown.

Community sport is open for all ages, with training and competition allowed to go ahead.

Only the minimum number of participants (players, coaches, umpires, officials, and carers or parents) are able to attend.

Spectators are still not allowed.

The GVL will instead livestream one match this weekend, with the clash between Mansfield and Euroa pencilled in for viewers at home.

Meanwhile, indoor physical recreation and sporting facilities will have a cap of 100 patrons and outside venues are capped at 300.

Density quotients of one person per four square metres apply in these settings.

Golf courses are now able to reopen and expect junior competitions to be back up and running this weekend.

However, metropolitan Melbourne will remain in its current lockdown.

People who reside in metro areas are not allowed to travel to regional Victoria.

National Premier League outfit Goulburn Valley Suns and Big V side Shepparton Gators will be severely impacted, with majority of their competitors based in metro areas.

As well as multiple football and netball clubs across the region, who rely on metro-based players.

It is still unknown whether metro Melbourne will end its lockdown on Thursday.

There has been no announcement yet from the Kyabram District, Murray and Picola District leagues if action will return this weekend.

Murray league general manager Dale Norman spoke to the Riverine Herald — before Monday's announcement — about the financial impact on clubs if this year's season can't be completed.

“There's going to be a massive financial impact,” Norman said.

“We can't go through another year without a finals series. Otherwise, we're going to be in a lot of financial trouble.

“We need to recoup some of that income (lost) over the last two years.”

PDFNL operations manager Shane Railton offered some perspective into the behind the scenes cost of simply running a finals series — costs potentially compounded with no money coming the other way if the ban on spectators at games persists.

“For us or any other league that plays finals, with umpiring or our best-and-fairest for example, there's $25,000 to $30,000 simply in trophies and things like that,” Railton said.

“It's not hard to rack up 50 or 60 grand pretty quick.

“If you don't have any crowd, well there's just a loss that every club has to endure. At the end of the day that comes at the clubs’ cost.

“The board doesn't make money — we make an operating profit, but that's all the league's money which is clubs’ money.”“It's just money you can't give back to them (clubs).”

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