Dear League and Club Presidents & Secretaries,
It would be an understatement to say that we are in the midst of an unprecedented time in our lives. Whilst COVID-19 is changing the way we live our day to day lives, my hope is that we are all looking after ourselves, our family and our community to the best of our abilities. Today I would like to update you on the following topics –
- Season Status
- Training Status
- Club / Member Health
- Salary Cap & Player Points
- Cyber Threats
- Player / Member Engagement Activities
- AFL Gippsland health status
1. Season Status
On Sunday 12 April, the Victorian Government announced that the State of Emergency declared last month has been extended until midnight 11 May 2020 to continue the measures designed to ‘flatten the curve’ of coronavirus and give our health system the best chance of managing the virus. The State of Emergency was originally due to expire on 13 April. It is expected that Stage 3 restriction will be in place until at least 11 May in line with this announcement. As a result, AFL Gippsland will be extending the date for the earliest commencement of a season to 31 May. This extension would allow for close to a three week lead in providing an appropriate wind back of restrictions is in place as of 12 May. It is our intention to play football and netball at some stage in 2020 and this is the basis of our ongoing operational and budgetary planning across a range of season start date scenarios. We are currently working with local councils and cricketing bodies to explore ground availability and season length options. A club survey will be released for all Gippsland clubs in the next fortnight to assist us with this planning.
2. Training Status
Due to the current Stage 3 restrictions, club training is not allowed. Individuals may exercise for their personal health and wellbeing in-line with the Stage 3 restriction guidelines. (https://www.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions-victoria)
3. Club / Member Health
It goes without saying that our people are our number one priority. We will all be dealing differently with the effects of COVID-19 on our lives. Personally, I don’t do very well with indoor isolation which has prompted me to exercise outdoors on a more regular basis in line with the Stage 3 restrictions. I have attached a PDF titles “Where to seek help during COVID-19” which lists a range of services to assist both the young and the old in our community who may need assistance. Please feel free to distribute this sheet amongst your members and community.
In addition to us as individuals, our clubs will be struggling to varying degrees with the loss of revenue and sponsorship. In conjunction with TD Solutions, the AFL has provided the attached Community Football COVID-19 Financial Assessment Tool and Guide to assist clubs in understanding the effects COVID-19 may have on their financial position.
4. Salary Cap & Player Points
There is a working group conducting a State review of the how COVID-19 may affect the salary cap & player points for a variety of 2020 season configurations. I will distribute information regarding this review when it is made available.
5. Cyber Threats
We have been advised of an e-mail scam which has unfortunately hit a number of clubs across the State resulting in losses ranging from $200 to nearly $5,000. Clubs are asked to be particularly aware of fraudulent e-mails during the current COVID-19 crisis and ensure there are stringent approval processes in place for all payments. This particular, scam involves an initial e-mail which appears to be sent from the Club President to the Treasurer requesting payment to be made. The Presidents name will displayed correctly, but the e-mail address is not correct. As seen in the screen shots below, the e-mails are brief and persistent creating a sense of urgency for payment.
If you think you have been scammed, you can make a report on the Scamwatch website and please report any theft to Victoria Police. Also, please keep us informed if you have been exposed to any scam attempts.
Report a Scam: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam
Scam Watch: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/
6. Player / Member Engagement Activities
Keeping ourselves active is an important part of the coping mechanism in isolation. AFL Gippsland have been engaging with our Juniors with a Facebook competition where they have been encouraged to send in videos of themselves displaying their footy prowess. The competition has been tagged #backyardfootytricks and has been a great success with well over 20,000 views to date. Stay tuned for a competition involving our Senior leagues coming soon!!! (Hint: Get your footy trivia hats primed and ready?)
7. AFL Gippsland health status
After the turbulent financial end to the 2019 season, I am happy to report that the organisational review and restructure over the last six moths has resulted in AFL Gippsland being in a solid financial position to ride out the effects of COVID-19 across a range of season commencement scenarios. Our staff have been supportive of what needs to be done to get everything back to normal as soon as possible as we continue to support our operational responsibilities.
In finishing, I would also like to thank the many kind words of support from League and Clubs in our ongoing efforts to be ready to resume football and netball competitions as soon as possible. As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards
Richard
Last Modified on 14/04/2020 19:37
