Football Tasmania has today confirmed the re-start of all senior football competitions across the state. The new season will begin with Round of 16 fixtures for the Women’s Statewide Cup, Lakoseljac Cup and Under 20 Cup to be played on the weekend of 11 July. The National Premier Leagues (NPL) Tasmania and Women’s Super League (WSL) will then start the following week on 18 July, along with the Northern and Southern Championships.
Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said all competitions were locked in and that fee relief of close to $300,000 has now been communicated to all clubs and associations , to help mitigate the financial effects of COVID-19.
“Rebooting football has taken a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment from the entire Tasmanian football family and to be able to welcome around 12,000 players – from juniors to seniors – back onto the pitch next month will be a great reward for everyone.” Mr Bulkeley added.
The NPL Tasmania, the top-flight statewide league for men, will have a shortened 14-week ‘home-and-away’ fixture. The equivalent Women’s Super League kicks off at the same time and will run for 15 weeks with each side playing each other 3 times.
Senior competitions will run through to until around the end of October, and will be followed by the semi-finals and final of all three state wide cup competitions in what will be an enthralling end to the 2020 season. Youth competitions, as well as the majority of junior football, begin around the same time, marking the start of Term 3.
Mr Bulkeley said while confident that play could return safely, the easing of Tasmanian Government restrictions to allow up to 500 people at community sport offered some reassurance to the football community that senior competitions could be financially viable.
“Football Tasmania advocated strongly for an early return to football training, spectators at games as well as funding support from the State Government. These outcomes have put our organisation in a much stronger position to be able to provide financial assistance to our clubs and associations,” he explained.
“By reducing our NPL licence fees, team nomination, referee and player registration fees, we are helping offset some of the challenges and ensure as many footballers as possible are able to get onto the pitch this year to enjoy the health and social benefits of the World Game in Tasmania.
“We recognise that while clubs and associations have been doing their utmost to forecast the full impact of COVID-19, the situation is changeable and we may still face a tough time. With this in mind, Football Tasmania stands ready to provide extra support to clubs should they find themselves in financial difficulty this year and beyond.”
Mr Bulkeley thanked the Tasmanian Government and Minister for Sport Jane Howlett for understanding the value of community sport by also providing funding to help cover COVID-safe related costs, as well as the local referees who have offered to waive their match fees to officiate on practice games between clubs in the lead into the season.
Rosters for senior competitions are currently with clubs and will be publicly released early next week.