By Nick Creely
Community sport will remain on hold until after 1 November after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews revealed on Sunday the revised Roadmap for Victoria.
It means that cricket clubs and associations, as well as a range of other summer sports, which were potentially preparing to begin training as of this week, will be pushed back to 2 November, however a mid to late November start is still potentially on track across Metropolitan Melbourne.
Popular sports golf and tennis, have however been given the green light to resume, as long as its within 25 kilometres from home.
The new roadmap rules relating to community sport state that as of 11.59pm on 1 November, community outdoor contact sport for people 18 and under can resume, however it will be limited to a minimum number of people to play and facilitate, and spectators are only permissible for supervising of children.
For adults, outdoor non-contact sport can resume from this date, which is also limited to a minimum number of people to play and facilitate, while social distancing must be possible.
10 people, from two households, however, can attend the nets or use community ovals in what is some relief for training, with the permitted time for exercise rule also scrapped.
But, Premier Andrews has indicated that the 1 November date is not set in stone, with current case numbers potentially triggering the restrictions being brought forward by a week.
Cricket Victoria (CV) released its latest updated Roadmap for the Return of Community Cricket on Monday morning, which reiterates that no club training is allowed until 2 November, but has moved to reassure its clubs and associations that the original target dates for a season-start is still well and truly on track.
CV’s document also states that turf wicket preparation can start which will ensure the DDCA and Victorian Premier Cricket competitions can begin preparation, while indoor facilities remain closed, as well as school ovals.
But from 2 November, Metropolitan Melbourne will move to align itself with Regional Victoria from a sport perspective.
Outdoor training can begin, with each group limited to the number of players that regularly play in a team (including a coach), with a maximum of two groups per oval and one group in the training nets.
Spectators will be allowed with a maximum group of 10, but social distancing, face masks and an attendance register will be mandatory.
Communal change rooms, canteen, showers and toilets will be permitted to open but under strict guidelines.
