Following the AFL’s decision to postpone its season until May 31 due to the continuing coronavirus outbreak, the VAFA has also announced it’ll push back its season until the same date.
The five Melbourne senior metropolitan competitions last Tuesday announced their respective seasons would be delayed until May 2, but all have today pushed back that date in line with the AFL.
The Senior Community Leagues were united in their support of the AFL decision and look forward to working with AFL Victoria to work through all associated issues.
The health and well-being of our players, coaches, umpires, volunteers and associated stakeholders remains our priority, as does the sustainability of all of our clubs.
We urge all associated with our respective communities to heed the advice and regulations in place by order of the State Government. – Read the full joint league statement here
The Hampton Rovers Football Club can confirm all official activity including training, practice matches, and events have also been postponed until further notice.
As disappointing as this is, especially after such a positive pre-season campaign for the club, the health and safety of the Hampton Rovers community is our number one priority.
Rovers Board Chairman, Steve Anderson, released a statement on Sunday evening outlining the club’s position – view the statement here.
The senior and junior committees have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the club is well-placed to manage this crisis. We do know this will have a significant impact on the club and we do ask for your support during this time.
There are many questions at this time, but the reality is we need to continue to monitor the situation and react accordingly. At this stage, we don’t know what the 2020 season will look like, its length, or if it’ll commence at all.
It’s pleasing to see 12 members already signed-up and we encourage if you’re able to, then purchase a club membership to help support the club. Thanks to: Graeme Amoore, Stuart Cairns, Grant Greenway, John Machell, Samantha Oldfield, Stan Oldfield, Justin McCartney, Peter Clements, Vincent Devery, Ian Henry, Eddie O’Reilly, Jamie Stanfield. Information on membership packages and a link to purchase online is available here.
The players have been updated by the president Gary Nash, as well as senior coach Anthony Quon, while strength and conditioning coach Nathan Bonney has provided a video and program to follow via the players page on Facebook. This communication will continue as we aim to be well prepared for when the season does commence. We’re asking our senior players to continue with registering for the 2020 season – however subs can wait until we have some clarity around season dates.
The Rovers Season Launch, which was scheduled for March 28 at Hotel Brighton, has been postponed, but we still hope to host it at some stage prior to the season commencing. For the moment though, there will be no social events and the club currently does not have access to the facilities at Boss James Reserve.
The VAFA also announced the 2020 representative football program has been cancelled to allow the June and July bye rounds to be utilised for scheduling. Details on an updated fixture and season dates will be made in due course.
We urge everyone to follow advice from the government and health authorities, limit your exposure to coronavirus and help stop the spread.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to the committee, coaching panel, or contact the club.
