‘Awkward’ for clubs
John Willis remembers the day about 2000 spectators showed up to a club rugby game between Oriental-Rongotai and Wainuiomata at the Polo Grounds in Miramar in 2012.
It was a special occasion as All Blacks Julian Savea and Ma’a Nonu lined up for Ories and Piri Weepu for Wainuiomata.
‘‘People said it was the biggest crowd they’d ever seen here,’’ Willis said. ‘‘You get a big crowd with those guys turning up.’’
But even on a regular Saturday when All Blacks are not playing club rugby, the Oriental-Rongotai life member estimates crowds of up to 500 can be scattered along the sidelines.
So he struggles to see how club rugby can return in alert level two when there is a ban on mass gatherings of more than 100 people, excluding players and officials.
‘‘You’ve got your curtain-raiser game and your women’s game and until we get some more direction I can’t see us playing until we get down to level one.
‘‘How are you going to stop going and watching if it’s not enclosed ground?’’
Team sport will be permitted to resume in level two but under strict guidelines. Those include a ban on mass gatherings, having a contact-tracing register for all participants and spectators, and basic hygiene measures.
Willis is worried it will be up to club volunteers to police the number of people who attend matches at council grounds.
‘‘In a nutshell it would be awkward,’’ he said. ‘‘If we had to make it work, like anything if there’s a problem there’s a solution, and we could shut off some of our gates and have one gate open, but once again it’s the same old story what happens when a bus shows up? Do you say sorry we’ve got 100 people in here?’’
Steve Lancaster, NZ Rugby’s head of participation and development, conceded people on an that some club rugby games do attract ‘‘several hundred’’ spectators. But he was optimistic the community game will be able to return in level two.
‘‘Our perspective is, how can we make it work,’’ Lancaster said.
‘‘We want to avoid a situation where our clubs feel like they have to be the enforcers of policing these protocols. The whole country has done a good job of taking responsibility for themselves over the last seven weeks, and we think that’s going to be the key thing.’’
Capital Football chief executive Richard Reid said contact tracing spectators would prove to be the biggest hurdle for his sport, but he was confident the level two guidelines were workable.
‘‘The biggest issue is contact tracing,’’ Reid said. ‘‘That is a logistical issue that will take a whole lot of working through because the Ministry of Health wants to track individuals at various venues whether that be indoor and outdoor, and the people expected to do it at community sport will be volunteers.
‘‘We can put guidelines in place, as can the council, but ultimately it will be down to people to police what they can and what they do, and I’m sure people are all understanding.
‘‘Football is not going to start next week so there is a bit of time to work through this and regulations may change before football starts.’’
Netball Central CEO Fran Scholey said that her sport would not be rushing back on to the court when level two begins as it continued to work through the various guidelines, most notably contact tracing.
Netball is considering reducing club games from 60 minutes to 40 minutes in order to allow players more time to enter and exit venues, while non-essential spectators will be encouraged to stay home or work to a rostered schedule where they only attend some games.
‘‘We need to get ready first and therefore there will be a gradual return to play. Everyone needs to give a little in terms of being a bit more patient,’’ Scholey said.
‘‘It might be that there’s one person per team [that can come watch] but let’s get creative about this and Facebook Live games or think a little bit differently so no one misses out.’’