Sanitised balls, locked gates and training in small groups. Ainslie took the first steps into a brave new world on Thursday night despite not knowing if the AFL Canberra season will go ahead.
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Canberra sporting teams are starting to formulate training plans to give their players a fitness foundation for any potential game this year as administrators weigh up the risks and rewards of starting competitions.
ACT Rugby detailed its coronavirus plans to stakeholders on Thursday, with each club required to record who trains when and have six "santisation stations" placed around a field when players start training from June 1.
Most clubs will take significant hits on and off the field, with uncertainty around players numbers or competition structures and licensed clubs or sponsors being forced to cutback on their financial commitment.
One competition in regional NSW has already cancelled its Australian football season, deciding not to play for a premiership this year.
AFL Canberra clubs and officials will meet in the coming weeks to determine how they move forward, with the prospect of following the SANFL move to not pay players this year.
Ainslie, considered one of the most powerful sporting clubs in Canberra, has 35 teams across senior and junior competitions, but those numbers are expected to drop this year.
General manager of football Simon Holt said the club wanted to press ahead with some sort of football this year, especially for juniors to keep them interested in the game.
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"We're keen to get kids on the park, we just don't know how that will look," Holt said.
"We're starting to put things in place to be ready if it goes ahead. We had our first senior session on [Thursday] to comply with the regulations and trial it now, so that hopefully in a week or two we'll work out what does and doesn't work.
"It's as much about being social and mental health as anything. The guys are just desperate to catch up with their mates."
Ainslie have taken part in an Australian Sports Foundation survey to help quantify the problems clubs are facing due to the season shutdowns and how much support they will need to survive.
Several Canberra teams have raised concerns about being sustainable beyond this year if they are forced to play in competitions without sponsorship funding or licensed club backing.
"There's just going to be more pressure on teams this year," Holt said. "None of it's impossible, it's just going to be more challenging than usual."
Most Canberra competitions are targeting a mid-July start date, pending input from clubs and whether they think it is viable to play this year.
ACT rugby union teams have been told they can resume training on June 1 and a likely progression to full-contact training on June 29 before the season starts.
A 20-page document detailed everything from how a training field should be set up, appointing a designated coronavirus compliance officer and giving examples of how much bleach or disinfectant would be needed to clean equipment and balls.
"While this may seem inconvenient in the short-term, these protocols have been developed with your health and wellbeing at the forefront and will allow us as a sport and as a state to effectively monitor our return to the sport we love," the document said.
"... During Level B restrictions we need to keep attendees to our club at an absolute minimum. As such, we request that we do not have any spectators to training sessions at this time.
"For parents and guardians, please limit attendance to at most [one] parent/guardian where possible. Please also note that our club rooms remain closed at this time, meaning we do not have food or beverages available, and do not have indoor shelter available.
"However, our toilet facilities will be available if required. We will also require any persons at the club to observe a minimum 1.5m distance from each other. This is our first step back to playing rugby in our states and territories.
"If we can effectively stick to these current restrictions (and effectively monitor any change in the pandemic) we trust, we can return to play our competition this season. Thank you for your cooperation."