Teamwork sees clubs through difficult season

THE return of Stage 3 restrictions curtailed the junior football and netball seasons and created further difficulties for local sporting clubs.

For many clubs, COVID-19 has severed revenue sources such as entry fees, bar money and sponsor contributions.

However, support from the community and governing bodies has helped the clubs deal with these challenges.

Torquay Tigers Football and Netball Club president Jenny Wood said all the different parties involved with the club had worked together to help each other through this difficult period.

“We are lucky that we have great support from the community.

“We have got information from AFL Barwon around a reduction in what fees we would normally pay to them and also to AFL Victoria.

“We’ve had sponsors still put money towards the club but there’s a lot of sponsors that are in a position financially that they can’t his year, and obviously we can’t offer a lot of exposure

“But our sponsorship does support the cricket club as well. So, we’ve asked our sponsors if they would like to contribute to the cricket which at this stage, as far as we know, might go ahead.”

Anglesea Football and Netball Club president Jamie Mackenzie said people’s willingness to co-operate and adapt had also been evident in the efforts to get the juniors playing sport again.

“At the junior games everyone did the right thing and everyone was really supportive, there was actually a really good feeling at the ground.

“The clubs, the parents, everyone was really putting in to ensure the kids had a game of football.

“The parents who stepped up to be COVID officers at the club for football and netball was just fantastic. We had three or four parents for every team put their hands up and do the training for every team.”

Mackenzie said despite the financial and logistical challenges, the efforts to get the junior football and netball seasons underway had been worthwhile.

“It’s been a real positive, even just three games in, to have the kids back playing sport has just been fantastic.

“It kept them connected to the club, which has been really important over this time.

“It was just one of those things where you weigh it up, and it was just a small cost for some important games.”