Bartlett: Well, Darnell, the IPL is finally back next month and we are looking at a new format when teams take the field for round one. Among the key changes flagged by Football South Coast is that winning IPL teams will now receive two competition points, instead of the traditional two.

FSC's chief executive officer Ann-Marie Balliana hopes the points cut will "make the competition a bit more exciting" this year. So mate, do you think this is a good call? Or could it cause teams to be more negative as there is little reward for victory over a draw?

Mee: It's an interesting one. I guess the hope is the move to two points ensures more teams are in with a fight of making the finals late in the season. But with wins now less valuable, it will encourage sides to play defensively and settle for a draw. Additionally, it means those teams who do attack and secure victories won't be rewarded as much for doing so. Personally, I don't like it and I feel they should have stuck with the traditional three-point format. How do you view the situation?

Bartlett: I can see the FSC's logic. Due to the shortened season, teams will only meet each once before finals. So two points for a win should ensure a tighter competition towards the back end of the season, but I find it a little strange though. Basically, every league in the world - from the EPL through to grassroots football - rewards winning teams with three points... except for the IPL? So I guess we see eye to eye on this one.

I do, however, like the other change implemented by FSC. There will be no promotion or relegation between the IPL and District League at the end of 2020. I'm a fan of this move, with the season heavily compromised due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What do you think of that move?

Mee: It's tough on the District League teams. That opportunity to rise into the IPL is one of the biggest carrots for clubs playing in the competition. Come grand final day, they won't be any less motivated to win, but there might be a few District League players reconsidering their decision to play this year given everything that's happened and the absence of promotion to the IPL.

On top of that, the decision will reward those Premier League teams who consider this a lost season. Without relegation, they won't be forced to put a top-notch side on the field every week and fight in every match, right up until the very last game. Some of the most exciting weekends of IPL action come at the back end of the season when teams are desperate to avoid relegation. This year's competition will be lacking that excitement.

Bartlett: I can understand that argument, and I definitely have sympathy for the District League sides, but I look at the IPL side of things. In a year where the draw has been significantly reduced, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with IPL teams getting relegated in 2020. You could lose a lot more games than a regular season and suddenly you're bumped down to District League? Is that fair?

Either way, it's just great to be talking football again. Most leagues in NSW, senior and junior, have been given the green light to return next month. However, Football NSW is yet to announce when the Men's and Women's NPL1 comps will get under way. I find it ridiculous that the Illawarra's two premier football teams, Wollongong Wolves and Illawarra Stingrays, are still waiting to find out when they can next take the field. An announcement is expected this week, but are they taking too long?

Mee: If Football South Coast was able to spend the past few months formulating plans for the resumption of play, Football NSW should have been ready to go as well. Instead, the organisation is still working through options and determining what the season should look like. The main sticking point is the clubs that have financial concerns and are pushing for either no season or a major change to the competition. But as Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire has repeatedly said, the players need to play football.

Even with concerns about finances, government restrictions, paying players, spectators at grounds, all of that, Football NSW should have been ready to make an announcement soon after last week's announcement from the Berejiklian government. So yes, they are taking too long. Hopefully we'll have some more details by the end of the week and we'll be able to put this issue to bed. Speaking of taking a long time to return, the FFA finally announced plans for the A-League to return this week. Do players have reason to be frustrated that football is the last of the four codes to return from the shutdown?

Bartlett: It's obvious to the public the AFL, Rugby Australia and FFA have been happy to let the NRL be the guinea pig for codes returning. And, let's be honest, Peter V'Landys did a tremendous job to get his comp up and running by May 28. I think the FFA has waited far too long to make a call on the A-League's return. It will be back on July 16 - a usual A-League season gets under way in October. Before the shutdown, it looked unlikely that anyone was going to catch the Sky Blues at the top of the ladder. I would have handed the minor premiership to Sydney FC, foregone the championship title and switched the focus to next season. There is a lot of excitement about the 2020/21 season with new boys Macarthur FC Bulls joining the comp. It will be almost four months since the last round when the A-League resumes in July. Is it really worth it?

Mee: It may be a fait accompli that Sydney FC will win the Premiers Plate, but they deserve to win it on the field, rather than through a boardroom decision.

The remainder of the season will have a unique feel, with some clubs simply making up the numbers for a few weeks before they can turn their focus to the new season, but live, Australian football will be a reward for football fans who have sat through a tumultuous few months. And thankfully, that moment is drawing ever closer.

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