Football South Coast's plans to return in 2021 are all but over, as the COVID pandemic continues to escalate across the state.
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Chief executive officer Ann-Marie Balliana conceded that FSC's resumption was "unlikely" on Monday as NSW endured another horror day, with 466 new cases detected to 8pm Sunday.
Balliana told the Mercury last month that FSC hoped to resume a revised competition if the Greater Sydney region came out of lockdown on August 28. However, those plans are in huge doubt, with the stay-at-home orders now extended across NSW.
"We've been working with clubs for the last two weeks on what a potential resumption could look like. But I think it's pretty obvious - with the high number of cases - that it's unlikely that our time frames will be met. It's looking like it will be cancelled," Balliana said.
"It's obviously very disappointing after the season started off so strongly. But it is completely understandable. This time last year, when we were impacted by COVID, community sport wasn't really seen as a high risk and risk to children wasn't at the forefront. But I think we've seen with this Delta variant, with the more information that's coming out, it's a risk to children now, who are a big part of our playing base.
"We just need to follow the public health orders, as we've always done, and hope that everybody gets out of this as safely as possible."
FSC also announced on Monday that no league champions are set to be decided this season, following their consultation with clubs.
It is also likely that promotion and relegation will be taken off the table for the second year in a row, if junior and senior competitions don't resume in 2021.
"If we assume that we're not going to meet those dates - which is a high likelihood - as it stands there won't be any league champions, or promotion and relegation," Balliana said. "I think a lot of other associations and Football NSW have gone down that path as well."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
