Tasmanian club sides will be unable to compete on the National stage in 2020, after it was today announced that the FFA Cup and NPL National finals series tournament have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The competitions had previously been considered unlikely following Football's shut down, an FFA CEO James Johnson today confirmed the two competitions would not be proceeding this year in an announcement to members.
"Following extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, FFA has regrettably decided to cancel the 2020 installments of both the FFA Cup and NPL finals series due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to the Australian football calendar. The FFA Cup 2020 Preliminary Rounds have been suspended across the country. So too have the respective Member Federation administered NPL and grassroots competitions. Some NPL and grassroots competitions have resumed/commenced while others are in the process of resuming/commencing, with adjusted fixtures. This has made scheduling and planning for the FFA Cup and NPL Finals Series competitions extremely challenging. Further, there remains some uncertainty regarding travel restrictions and the re-opening of borders across the country, which impacts on these truly national competitions."
Whilst the news comes as a dissappointment, the competitions will hopefully return for 2021, offering Tasmanian club sides a chance to compete on the National stage once again.