Season Update from The President

14 May 2020

Dear members & players,

Please see below an update on the recommencement of the 2020 Football & Netball season.

On Monday Victorians were advised by the state government that groups of 10 could come together to socialise and exercise, this unfortunately does not cover formal training of sporting clubs of any type.

Last night the MPNFL Presidents meeting was held with updates around recommencement of training and what would constitute a start up of the Football & Netball season.

The AFL have put forward to the state government a proposal outlining requirements and protocols to return to training with the key focus on being able to have groups able to train in a safe environment, we are hoping for guidance by the end of this week so the club can put the appropriate processes in place to get players back out training again. As a part of this we are also waiting on local council approval for access to clubrooms and facilities, as you can appreciate this is a complex process we are working through with many pieces to the puzzle.

In regards to getting back to playing we are still working through scenarios with lobbying of government to achieve a sustainable model for clubs to be able to function and cover costs of a season start up.

You may have seen on social media comments coming out of last night’s meeting around what will or wont happen as we move towards getting under way for the season, there are many variables still to be worked through but one point that is agreed by all clubs is if we don’t have crowds the season won’t start as a normal season it is simply not financially viable for clubs but alternate models are being considered to get everyone back out playing sport in a varied format.

Another point of discussion in the local media is player payments and what they will or wont be. AFL Victoria have previously outlined the criteria around salary caps, it was agreed last night that any further decisions on the positioning of player payments will need to be state based and with direction provided from AFL Victoria. So simply put, no further decisions have been made at this time around this point.

There is a belief that the season may be starting mid July but this again will be determined by many elements before final decisions are made.

The MPNFL will be meeting again next week to further discuss and plan a season restart.

I will share with you any updates that come from that meeting, stay safe and look forward to seeing you all soon back down at Chelsea.

Regards
Michael Davis
President Chelsea FNC

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