Volunteers the key to juniors playing

THE immense ask on volunteers may be the single biggest hurdle junior rugby league clubs will have to overcome for a season to be played.

Cairns District Junior Rugby League presidents will meet next week to make a decision on the 2020 season.

Clubs agreed to defer a decision when they met at the start of the month, with some optimistic restrictions would ease to a point where they could proceed with a competition.

Other regions, like Bundaberg and Townsville, have announced intended starts to compressed seasons at the end of July and early August.

Bundaberg is including their under-18s to ensure players in the age group don’t miss a crucial year in development.

For Cairns, the decision lies in the hands of club committees, and, perhaps most importantly, volunteers.

And that’s where the biggest concern lies.

The Queensland

Rugby

League’s Return to Play Handbook outlines the requirements which must be adhered to before clubs can kick off.

One club president said they were concerned that it was so much work it could drive volunteers from clubs.

They said the club had recently held a meeting with coaches to discuss the guidelines and ascertain if they were willing to push ahead for the 2020 season.

“A lot of volunteers have said they wouldn’t want to (go ahead),” they said.

“If the restrictions relax a bit more it would work. But even with Stage 3, the limit is on 100 people. For a club of our size, it’s unworkable.”

Crowd limits and its effect on the gate and the canteen would also heavily impact any financial benefit.

The president of another club said their volunteers were ready to ensure the region’s young footballers got to play.

“If we can only have 100 people at the ground, we’ll have 100 people,” they said.

Mount Isa’s junior rugby league competition will return on July 18, with Gulf United back on the field from July 25 and Townsville on August 1.

There is still uncertainty about what a competition could look like if it kicked off in mid-July. The length of the season, number of teams in each age group cleared to compete, and the actual schedule are all yet to be determined.

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