The Board and Management of Netball NSW have been continuing to closely monitor developments with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic since our Memo entitled “Netball NSW Covid-19 Response” issued on 16 March 2020. We can now provide a further status update to our NSW netball community.
Netball NSW has continued our scenario planning to prepare for what the 2020 season might look like subject to the status of the public health advice by certain milestones. Everyone would appreciate that there is still a lot we do not know about how Australia may be impacted by this pandemic moving forward, and how all tiers of Government may need to respond.
Netball NSW considers it important that we provide ongoing guidance to our Membership on our current thinking at this review date so that all of our Clubs and Associations can continue their own planning and preparation for a potential deferred season in 2020.
The current NSW Public Health (COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order 2020 (Public Health Order) is presently in force until Monday, 29 June 2020. Netball NSW confirms that the suspension of all netball activities must therefore continue until at least that date, unless the NSW Government decides to lift the Public Health Order earlier.
Netball NSW will continue to strictly follow the Government advice so that we will only get back out on court when it is deemed safe to do so.
This Memo therefore outlines Netball NSW’s scenario for a re-start of netball activities from July 2020 and our current planning around each level of competition commencing from that time. This guidance will be further reviewed and confirmed by no later than 1 June 2020 subject to the existing Government advice available.
Club Netball and Suncorp NetSetGO
Starting dates of Association’s Club Netball competitions and NetSetGO programs are at the discretion of individual Associations. Noting that under the current Public Health Order there can be no training sessions until 30 June, Netball NSW would recommend that competitions start on approximately Saturday 18 July.
This date coincides with the end of mid-year school holidays and was also the date which many Associations nominated as their preferred start date to get an abbreviated season underway in our recent survey.
Origin Premier League
Premier League is now due to commence with Round 1 on Wednesday 29 July, with a pre-season warm-up round to be held the week prior. This will allow for an appropriate period of training in the lead-up to Round 1. As the pinnacle Netball Competition in NSW we are working towards completing a full season of the Premier League competition and details around the fixture continue to be worked through.
Communication in relation to the fixture for 2020 will be circulated to Premier League Licensees by the end of April.
DOOLEYS Metro League
The Metro League competition will commence with Round 1 being held in the week starting Monday 27 July. This will allow for an appropriate period of training in the lead-up to Round 1. The competition will include nine rounds (all teams playing each other once) with a shortened finals series. Only Grand Finals (between first and second on the ladder of the respective divisions following minor rounds) will be played from Monday 28 September.
BING LEE Regional Leagues
Dates of the various Regional League competitions are at the discretion of the region and Netball NSW Regional Managers will work with the Associations on re-scheduling and the format of the competitions.
Some competitions will be able to proceed as planned, with some changes to the format (ie Far North Coast, Northern Inland) whereas others will need to be re-scheduled. Further information will be provided to the affected Associations by 1 June.
The Regional State Cup is now due to be held on the weekend of 17-18 October 2020. A review of the venue is currently taking place and an update will be provided by 1 June.
HART Junior & Senior State Titles
After considering a range of scenarios, following are the updated plans for State Titles: Both Junior and Senior State Titles (with the exception of Opens) will now be held on the October long weekend – Saturday 3rd to Monday 5th October. This aligns with the feedback received in the recent survey where the vast majority of Associations believed the last weekend in September was the appropriate finish of a delayed winter Club season.
Netball NSW are currently working through the logistics due to the change in dates, and working closely with host Associations and local councils on the challenges these new dates present at the various locations.
Discussions with these stakeholders are ongoing and as a result we are yet to determine the final allocation of venues. Once a final allocation is known it will be communicated to all Associations as soon as possible.
We understand that these revised dates will cause varying challenges for Associations and participants, including but not limited to, accommodation, tent allocations, umpires and officials availability, player workload, school holidays, HSC preparation etc. We will endeavour to work with Associations where we can to alleviate some of the challenges. However, in these unprecedented times we are doing all that we can to ensure State Titles are played and acknowledge that individuals will need to make their own decisions around their priorities and what is right for them.
Seniors
- Entries for Senior State Titles have now closed.
- We thank all Associations that worked with us, getting their entries in for the Senior State Titles, as this has helped significantly to work through the logistics and venue allocation.
- Provisional grading will be issued on 1 June providing Associations the knowledge of where they will be allocated in 2020. Standard appeal opportunities will be in place.
- A two-week window period where all entries can be confirmed, withdrawn or modified as required will be advised at a time closer to the event. However, if you have entered a team in the Senior State Titles, but now with the change of dates are confident that you are unable to attend please advise at your earliest opportunity.
Juniors
- Entries for Junior State Titles close on Tuesday 5 May. Teams should be entered using the standard three-step Competition entry process. Please refer to the Netball NSW website (State Titles page) for details.
- Provisional grading will be issued on 1 June providing Associations the knowledge of where they will be allocated in 2020. Standard appeal opportunities will be in place.
- A two-week window period where all entries can be confirmed, withdrawn or modified as required will be advised at a time closer to the event.
Hart Open State Titles, Bing Lee Masters State Titles and Social Masters
The Senior State Titles Opens Division will now be included to run concurrently with Masters State Titles and Social Masters on the scheduled Masters dates of 17-18 October 2020. As with the Senior and Junior State Titles, due to the change in format for 2020 a review of the host venue is currently taking place and an update will be provided by 1 June.
Competitions already underway
Competitions which were already underway and were suspended due to the restrictions imposed can re-commence at the Association’s discretion from Tuesday 30 June 2020.
Scheduling should however provide adequate time for players to prepare for the various levels of netball they will participate in, to limit the possibility of injury. This was an important consideration in planning for the Premier and Metro league seasons starting approximately one month following the end of the Public Health Order.
Performance and Pathway Programs
Performance and Pathways Programs including the QBE Swifts Academy, GIANTS Academy, Emerging Talent, Regional Emerging Talent and Regional Academy of Sport Programs are continuing to focus on supporting the long-term individual development of identified athletes.
Programs have been adapted to adjust to the unprecedented circumstances and will continue to adapt to ensure an optimum balance of development, load management and recovery when competition resumes.
Walking Netball and Fast5
Walking Netball Competitions (Social or Traditional), Walking Netball Exercise Classes and Fast5 Netball Competition start dates are at the discretion of individual Associations hosting programs and/or Netball NSW depending on who is running the program. Noting that under the current Public Health Order there can be no sessions until 30 June. Netball NSW is considering a Term 3 start for these programs. Further information will be communicated to all Associations hosting programs by 1 June.
Financial Position and Future Viability
The financial model behind the entire netball ecosystem in NSW is the contributions received from community players which flow up from Clubs to Associations, to Netball NSW and ultimately in part to Netball Australia. Without the flow of at least a portion of those funds in 2020, it will not be possible for Netball NSW to financially withstand the impact of COVID-19 without substantial government support.
It is important to repeat here that the single focus of Netball NSW over the course of the COVID-19 crisis is that no-one gets left behind. It is critical that the structures, competitions, pathways and opportunities which have been part of netball in NSW for generations are in place and available for the current and future generations when the COVID-19 dust settles.
In the last month the Netball NSW Board has overseen a budget re-calibration which has stripped over $10 million worth of expenditure from our $18 million budget for 2020 based on current estimates. We moved quickly and decisively, including the incredibly difficult situation regarding the standing down of staff – made before the Federal Government’s JobKeeper announcement. We hope to now be beneficiaries of JobKeeper, but it will not solve all of our financial problems.
Netball NSW are in regular contact with the NSW Government advocating a position for netball across New South Wales at all levels, and sport more broadly. This included a meeting between the Netball NSW President, CEO and the Minister for Sport last week. A key part of our discussions centre on the NSW Government’s Active Kids Vouchers (AKV). As we have stated previously, it has been confirmed by the NSW Government that the $100 AKV money used by a parent to partially offset registration fees cannot, under any circumstances, be returned as cash.
Netball NSW, along with all other State Sporting Organisations, are urging the NSW Government to confirm that the AKV money, which can’t be refunded, can be retained within the sport in which it was redeemed. We are hopeful this will be confirmed very soon. If it is, it will create a quasi ‘Government assistance package’ for our sport in the event that no netball is possible in 2020 and a full refund of registration fees is required.
If that situation was to eventuate, we would work closely with all Associations (and Associations would be asked to work with Clubs) to agree an appropriate split of the available amount to meet our goal of no-one being left behind. It is also a key reason for our current request for financial information from Associations, which we have asked to be returned by 21 April 2020.
Registration and Refunds
Consistent with our position that Netball NSW remains hopeful of having netball played in the second half of the year it remains the Board’s view that it would be premature for refunds of registration fees to be processed at this time.
This is a position consistent with other netball state bodies across Australia and the vast majority of other winter sports at present, as we all try to work towards the best possible season in the circumstances.
We are currently modelling a number of scenarios including worst case (ie, no season and full refunds), just like many Associations would be. However, in such a fast-moving environment, where Government advice and restrictions could change at any time, we remain of the view that holding our position on registration refunds for the immediate term, and until greater clarity is available, is appropriate.
Any refund process will be complex and difficult, so we want to ensure that if it is ultimately required we do it once, we do it properly and we do it in a way which means we safeguard the entire netball ecosystem to the best of our ability. We know not everyone will agree with this position at present but we believe that it remains the best current course of action for netball in NSW as a whole.
Netball NSW Annual General Meeting
As outlined in the Memo dated 18 March, the Netball NSW Annual General Meeting has been re-scheduled to Sunday 24 May 2020. Full details regarding the AGM, Council Meeting and Extraordinary Council Meeting will be provided in a separate communication from the Company Secretary in due course.
Review Date
Given the current unpredictable nature of the world we are living in Netball NSW will continue to keep all stakeholders as informed as possible over coming weeks should there be significant changes to any of the matters mentioned above. There will also be a formal update, similar to this one, provided by no later than Monday 1 June 2020.
Netball NSW and all of us in our netball community will need to be responsive to the continual changes to the government advice around risks to public health, and should it later become apparent that a July date may not be feasible, adjust and reassess at that time.
Once again, we thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding and wish you the very best of health.
- Louise Sullivan - President, Netball NSW
- Carolyn Campbell - CEO, Netball NSW
