A whole new ball game

FGC mulls alternatives for season like no other

IT’S Gold Coast football, but not as you know it.

Thanks to the coronavirus, officials have formally drawn a line through previous plans for the Coast season and have instead devised methods to maximise game time for the rest of 2020.

A balloon on a bed of nails has had more certainty about its future than grassroots sporting codes but Football Gold Coast has at least moved

to offer some assurance. Gone will be the previous divisions in the senior competitions, with clubs instead asked to nominate which level they would like to play.

This is in part because of the lack of certainty over player numbers, and means promotion and relegation won’t be included in 2020.

With competitions on hold until June 30, teams that normally play in, for example, the fourth tier, could now nominate to line up against sides that are usually levels above.

The Premier League, initially scheduled for eight teams, could end up with more sides before normality is restored for the 2021 season.

In juniors, the standard competition format could be replaced by single-day carnivals or round-robin formats, with some age groups likely to be merged.

Football Gold Coast general manager Damien Bresic confirmed the deadline for the season to start was August 1.

“If it’s after that we’d probably say ‘see you in 2021’,” said Bresic, who met with all 28 clubs last week.

“The season as we know it won’t happen. What we offered in March we obviously can’t offer now so that notion of the season is gone.

“Now once we get clearance we will be putting on something, whether it’s six-aside or carnivals for juniors.

“The reason we took this stance is because of the unknown; the under-13 side who nominated in February, are they still around?

“If some sides have lost players then they’ll nominate for the six-a-side comp.”

Bresic confirmed FGC would be lenient with player registrations to ensure no one was left without a club should a side no longer be available.

However, he holds reservations about the viability of some clubs reopening at all if money-aiding canteens are forced to remain shut.

There has been talk some clubs have already confirmed they won’t field teams in 2020 due to wider financial concerns around coronavirus.