The Corona Virus outbreak sent football teams for a break in an attempt to curb the spread of the contagious virus. After several months off the pitch, football in Australia is making a comeback, but this time things will not be as usual. The guidelines set by the World Health Organization have to be adhered to for player and staff safety. Since March 2020, local leagues were not in action.
How Local Football Is Resuming
The Australian Football League CEO had earlier announced that Australia’s top-flight league would be in action as from June 11th. This announcement followed the guidelines released by the Australian Institute of Sport on how games will resume. Players and staff will be tested twice in a week to control the spread of the virus among players. Training sessions began on May 25th. The rules of returning are quite strict and have to be followed to protect the Australian community at large. Health officials gave the league the go-ahead to continue with their activities.
Training Guidelines in Australia
For football to continue smoothly during the post-COVID-19 period, certain training activities have been scrapped off. Those left are activities that will not involve contact between players. Allowed activities include running, aerobics, agility, resistance training and skills training. Skill training activities involve shooting, headers and passing. While practising the skills, players and staff are only allowed to be in groups of ten.
Sports Principles Set By the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)
AIS recommends that football should be spectator-free. This will help avoid crowding in stadiums, thus decreasing the risk of infections. There should also be less staff on the pitch at a time. The sports venues should be assessed before the game to minimise the risk. Also, the games should be played following the Public Health directives.