Western Sydney Competition Update – July 16
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: IN-SEASON UPDATE 1: CROSSROADS HOTEL COVID-19 CLUSTER
Dear Western Sydney Football Community,
Throughout our planning for the return to Community Football, the health and safety of all participants, volunteers and the broader community has been our number one priority.
As a leader in our communities AFL NSW/ACT, and subsequently AFL Sydney, continues to remain flexible and agile in our approach to the season as we navigate the complexity of the COVID-19 health crisis within our communities.
Importantly, as we all prepare for AFL Sydney competition play this weekend AFL NSW/ACT continues to work closely with State and Local Government and health officials regarding the COVID-19 response in Sydney.
Currently, community sporting activity is still permissible under the NSW Public Health Order when following COVID-19 Safety plans, however as of Thursday 16 July at 4pm the NSW Chief Medical Officer has signalled further updates to COVID Safety plans will be required to help decrease the number of people gathering at these events.
As such, we are following the most up-to-date advice on the COVID-19 cluster associated with the Crossroads Hotel in Casula along with aligning to our purpose and community leadership position and will make the following proactive adjustments to a number of our games and competitions for this weekend’s AFL Sydney Round 1.
- Western Sydney Juniors Competition – Round 1 fixture (17 – 19 July) will be postponed and rescheduled to a later date in the season (to be advised)
- 77 games will be postponed and
- Option to be considered; finals change straight to Grand Final
- NAB AFL Auskick Centres in Western Sydney will postpone and reschedule week 1 to a later date in the season (to be advised)
In addition to the above, we have proactively ramped up our protocol adherence messaging across all channels including several additional COVID Safety webinars to support clubs with their final preparations ahead of this weekend’s matches. AFL NSW/ACT will also send a timely health and safety email reminder direct to all participants Friday to reinforce the importance of adherence to all protocols, reinforcing the role we all play in ensuring we return to football in a safe and compliant manner.
We continue to closely monitor this evolving situation and will be guided by local health authorities regarding any further adjustments to the competition. It is important to note that to-date, AFL Sydney has not been notified of any positive test with a player or official of a community Club.
The AFL NSW/ACT Return to Play Protocols and FAQs contain the most up-to-date information and should be referred to regularly by all AFL Sydney clubs.
We appreciate this is a challenging time for everyone navigating the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic and we thank you for your ongoing support and understanding to provide a safe and enjoyable return to community football.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or feedback.
Rebecca Marshall
Regional Manager – GWS
