Football Season Over
Yesterday the State Government announced that lockdown restrictions will be strengthened and extended in metropolitan Melbourne until 11.59pm on Thursday, 2nd September. The restrictions will see a curfew imposed from 9pm – 5pm every night starting from 11.59pm tonight.
The announcement officially ends the home and away season of all Senior competitions and removes some finals matches planned across several competitions.
This announcement whilst not unexpected will be devastating for clubs, having battled through the challenges of COVID 19, lockdowns and restrictions for two seasons. Losing home and away matches and the opportunity to play finals is a worst-case outcome.
Given the ongoing uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring it is even more important that the League follows the roadmap that was agreed with clubs. Protecting firstly the finals series by removing H&A matches and now protecting the Grand Final matches to get an outcome for the season. Uncertainty remains as to whether there will be an outcome.
Season Resumption:
The League is uncertain when the season will resume. If lockdown was to end on Thursday 2nd September, the next opportunity to play on the roadmap would be the 4th or 5th of September. This is unlikely to meet the minimum agreed training preparation requirements of Senior clubs. The league will meet with those clubs by division from the 25th - 27th August to confirm next steps. The league will also consider in consultation with clubs if the requirements for Seniors and Reserves should also apply to U19’s or whether a shorter lead in may be acceptable in this age group.
Finals Roadmap:
Below is the roadmap to the end of the season for all Senior competitions. Any scheduled matches that cannot be played due to restrictions or inadequate preparation time will be removed from the schedule and the competition will move to the next scheduled match in the below table. Matches scheduled for the 4th/5th of September are at risk unless an early release from restrictions and/or minimum training requirements can be achieved.
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Seniors Men's - Premier |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
TOP 6 1v6, 2v5, 3v4 |
Prelim * 5 Prelim * 6 |
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11/12 Sep |
Top 4 - PF's |
Top 4 - PF's |
Prelim * 7 |
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18th Sep |
GF |
GF |
GF 1v2 |
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Seniors Men's - Division 2 |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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11/12th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
|
GF 1v2 |
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Seniors Men's - Division 1 |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
1v4 & 2v3 |
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11 |
/12 Sep |
GF |
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18th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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Seniors Men's - Division 3 |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
1v4 & 2v3 |
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11/12th Sep |
GF |
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18th Sep |
|
GF 1v2 |
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Seniors Men's - Division 4 |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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11/12th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
|
GF 1v2 |
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Seniors Women's - Premier |
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Seniors Women's - Division 1 |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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11/12th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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11/12th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
|
GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
|
GF 1v2 |
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Seniors Women's - Division 2 |
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Seniors Women's - Division 3 |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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11/12th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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11/12th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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BJS/ Mecwacare Veterans - Men's Division 1 |
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Veterans Women's |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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1 |
1/12 Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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1 |
1/12 Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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BJS/ Mecwacare Veterans - Men's Division 2 |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
Match |
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4/5th Sep |
GF 1v2 |
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1 |
1/12 Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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18th Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
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Juniors |
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Resumption Date |
Match |
Match |
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22-Aug |
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29-Aug |
Playoffs |
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5-Sep |
Playoffs |
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12-Sep |
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GF 1v2 |
These are extremely difficult and frustrating times for everyone involved with Community Sport. The League continues to appreciate the ongoing support and understanding of its clubs during this challenging period.