SOCCER FOOTBALL Victoria announced a July start to the 2020 season late last week for all senior and junior competitions. The announcement came a day before the state government withdrew from lifting some pandemic restrictions but as we went to press there was no indication of any change to FV’s restart dates. NPL junior boys are scheduled to return to competition on the weekend of 4/5 July, NPL junior girls, community club juniors and MiniRoos on the weekend of 11/12 July with senior competitions back in action on the weekend of 25/26 July. However doubts over the NPL1 season continue…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
SOCCER LANGWARRIN and Seaford United will participate in the 2020 league season. The last two local clubs to decide their response to the disrupted season have informed Football Victoria of their decision. Langwarrin president Tanya Wallace addressed the senior squad last week before making the decision to play this year. “All of our players returned and have agreed to play so I’m really grateful for the commitment they’ve shown and for wanting to stick by the club in challenging and difficult times,” she said. “I’m really proud of the way everyone throughout the club has reacted to what needed to…
SOCCER FOOTBALL Victoria has put a million dollar proposal on the table to slash fees and entice clubs to participate in the 2020 season. FV’s fee relief package was announced in stages last week starting with NPL1 then NPL2 and NPL3 followed by an offer to State League clubs. The official announcement stated, in part: “The packages are aimed at supporting the safe return of football at all levels and ensuring the viability of our 355 clubs and the game in Victoria more broadly.” As an NPL2 club Langwarrin received confirmation that promotion was still in play but relegation had…
SOCCER FOOTBALL Victoria last week gave clubs the opportunity to decide their short-term future without penalty. The state body announced that there would be promotion this year throughout the leagues but no relegation. FV’s “Guiding principles for the resumption of football in Victoria” was generally well-received and for the most part took an even-handed approach when weighing up the federation’s responsibilities as the game’s watchdog against the responsibilities of member clubs. However, while announcing that clubs choosing not to compete would not face sanctions the principles mandated that all clubs were “subject to the payment of their full, respective 2020…
SOCCER RYAN Paczkowski could be on the verge of a sensational return to Mornington. The move relies on his current club Oakleigh Cannons not playing this season and releasing “Patch” from his contract. NPL1 powerhouse Oakleigh faces two major hurdles standing in the way of competing in 2020. The Greek-backed outfit is closely considering its duty of care to its members and has genuine concerns especially for it older supporters. It also stares into a financial black hole given that its main revenue streams have dried up with little prospect of short-term recovery. There’s no doubt that should “Patch” be…