Canberra's soccer and rugby union codes are yet to make a final call on their return-to-play plans, while hockey is seeking clarification from the ACT government on new outdoor exercise numbers to see if players can return to training.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Hockey ACT released a number of its own deadlines on Friday, including a deadline of September 13 for recommencement of training to allow the regular season to continue.
The territory government's announcement on Tuesday of a two-week lockdown extension, until September 17, bypasses that date, but hockey's chief executive officer Rob Sheekey said they were seeking clarification on the new outdoor exercise numbers.
"We're also still seeking clarification around the groups of five ... [and] what that means with people being able to train or exercise outside in groups of five. Technically that could mean that smaller groups of five are able to come back to training if that is what the government intends, I don't think it is but we're just waiting on clarification," he said.
"In all likelihood it appears our regular season now won't be able to finish, we'll just move to a finals only season.
"One of the reasons we put the dates in place was so that we had pretty clear decision making timelines that we could move towards, we knew where our season was going to be so we weren't just dragging the season out endlessly. We've got some timelines we'll work towards and if we get really close to finishing the season, the back half of that can be looked at again."
If the outdoor numbers do not allow a return to training for hockey players, the regular season will be canned and the next training deadline, if finals are to be played, set for September 27.
Similar to hockey, soccer and rugby union leagues in the ACT feature regional-NSW sides - who are in lockdown until at least September 10 - adding to the logistical nightmare for sports administrators to sort out how they could continue with their cross-boarder seasons.
Both are yet to release details on their return-to-play plans, or if they will abandon their seasons, following the lockdown extension announcement on Tuesday.
Rugby union was due to begin its finals after lockdown hit and soccer's NPL and NPLW still had several rounds to play before finals were due to get underway. A cloud of doubt is also surrounding NPL side Tigers FC's FFA Cup's round of 32 fixture, against Sydney's APIA Leichhardt, being played anytime soon.
Capital Football conducted a survey last week on how clubs wanted to move forward with the remainder of the season. The survey, along with the new health advice on Tuesday, will be used to present an updated contingency plan to the board, who are expected to make a decision later this week on their path forward.
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
