Local footy fix not easy
COLAC coach Rowan McSparron believes local football and cricket are on a collision course, with a turf war looming amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With local sport in a hiatus, McSparron has forecast a shortened GFL season, with 11 home-and-away games plus finals, should the COVID-19 crisis ease by May 31.
If the GFL season gets under way on June 6, that would leave 16 weeks until September 19 — the scheduled grand final date.
Such a time frame would allow for an 11-round season and a four-week finals series, with provision for a week off if required.
If the season does not start until July, the 11-round model would start to encroach on the cricket season.
But as the virus spreads, McSparron has cast doubt on whether the season will even get off the ground.
“At the end of the day, we’re dictated to by AFL Barwon and the AFL and they fall in line with what the government puts in place,” he said.
“We can’t say whether we will or we won’t (play), but if the government is saying ‘three to six months’, that puts a pretty grim outlook on the season for any sport, not only our league but winter sports in general.
“We really need to play 11 games so we play everyone once and off the back of that we have a full finals series.
“That takes us to 15 weeks, when and if it starts. It depends how much cricket is prepared to give up so we can push into mid-October.
“I don’t know. We’re not like the AFL where we can have grounds dedicated to football. We have co-tenants on a lot of grounds around Geelong and the district, and cricket and football have to work in together to make sure winter and summer sports can continue.
“Whether the cricket can compress their season, much like the football? I know they have already given up their finals and grand finals in the GCA, so that’s something they probably don’t want to do either.
“It’s a tricky situation for everyone.”
While football is on hold for at least two months, McSparron stressed the health and wellbeing of his players, staff and community was at the forefront of his mind.
“If you don’t have your health, what do you have?” McSparron said.
“There’s no point having all the money in the world if you’re six feet under.
“Even some people within football clubs have brothers, sisters and relatives that have some form of disease or disability that this could really impact. If there’s 50 players running around an oval, certain parts of our community could be affected pretty drastically.”
McSparron said his players were in regular contact in chat groups on social media to ensure everyone was coping amid the crisis.