Junior sports on ACT restart radar as NSW locks in grassroots return

Some junior soccer could start as early as next week and senior sports are still targeting mid-July resumptions in the capital.

The ACT is in stage 2.1 of its COVID-19 recovery plan, with plans to progress to stage 2.2 on June 19. Stage 2.2 includes changes to indoor and outdoor sports, but competitions were expected to be delayed until stage 3 in mid July.

NSW will allow senior and junior sport to restart on July 1, announcing its bold plans to restart all levels of grassroots competitions.

Canberra Rugby League is a subsidiary of the NSWRL and four of the nine first-grade teams are based in NSW, but the ACT competition is unlikely to start until mid July.

Senior soccer, rugby union and Australian football are working to similar timelines, but the cross-border complications have caused uncertainty for clubs and players.

Junior sport could resume earlier given less training is needed to physically prepare and the ACT government could unveil its plans later this week pending national cabinet instructions.

There will be restrictions on crowd sizes and how many family members can attend to help clubs manage coronavirus restrictions.

Canberra rugby union veteran Louise Burrows juggles her own playing ambitions with being a sporting mum to Fletch and Georgie on weekends.

"Kids love being active. I make them train with me, but there's nothing quite like sport with your mates. You can only do so much with mum," said Burrows, a four-time women's rugby World Cup representative. "They're excited about the chance to play again. For me to see them play, I can see them grow as people."

Fletch, 12, plays rugby union and trained on Wednesday night. "I'm really excited. It's been boring sitting at home. I've started riding and running a lot more ... I missed being around my mates," Fletch said.

Georgie, 10, has been playing soccer for three years and had her first team training session this week. "I went to training [on Tuesday] and we had two new people. That was fun to make friends with them and see my old friends," Georgie said.

The ACT government has waived ground-hire fees until September to help clubs cope with the financial pressures of the sporting world shutdown. Some clubs have either lost sponsors or had funding cut by licensed clubs, who have been forced to close their doors to meet coronavirus restrictions.

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Some first grade teams across all Canberra sports have been concerned about the viability of playing this year given major sponsors and licensed-club backers have withdrawn funding because of the coronavirus shutdown.

Canberra's oldest rugby union team, Easts, has withdrawn from the John I Dent Cup because of a lack of players, while some regional Australian football competitions have already cancelled their premiership seasons.

Capital Football has drafted plans for an 11-week season, with an announcement likely to be made this week. Junior soccer teams have already restarted training, but finals are likely to be cancelled to focus on maximising playing time for all participants.

Stage 2.2 of the ACT's plan allows for gatherings of up to 50 people, while stage 3 allows for gatherings of 100 people.

NSW Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said: "Sport is the lifeblood of our community and it gives me great pleasure to say adult sports can return to their competitions at the same time as 18 years and under.

"We have reduced the spread of COVID-19 to the point where further restrictions can be lifted. It is only because communities have followed the strict social distancing guidelines that this announcement is possible."

Crowds of 500 people could be allowed to attend outside sporting venues. NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard said: "Today's announcement is about a staged re-opening of the sports economy in a way that minimises the risk to the public. This makes a level playing field for sports stadiums, in line with the clubs and pubs re-opening to patrons."