Netball NSW have made the difficult but responsible decision to cancel all major competitions in September and October. The competitions affected are:
- HART Country Challenge (25 & 26 September)
- Regional State Cup (2 & 3 October)
- Masters State Titles & Social Masters (16 & 17 October)
As the COVID-19 situation deteriorated across the last weekend, with case numbers once again increasing and the Sydney lockdown extended until at least 30 September, it became very clear that the safe and logical decision was to abandon the competitions. Even if the COVID-19 outlook improved in some regional areas, the fact is that all of the competitions listed above require substantial travel within the state and this is something that Netball NSW wishes to avoid in order to ensure the safety of our community.
Regrettably the remaining fixtures scheduled for HART Regional Leagues in the following regions have also been abandoned:
- North Coast
- Far North Coast
- Northern Inland
Further contact will be made separately with those teams still engaged in Regional League competitions. Similarly, contact will also be made with those who had registered and paid for participation in the Masters events in Wagga.
Netball NSW remains hopeful that localised Association competitions may be able to continue and / or commence pending the lifting of restrictions. For some regional areas this could be as early as next week if restrictions are eased on Saturday. The finalisation of Winter seasons and the holding of Spring / Summer competitions may be possible if areas are released from restrictions and where the travel to participate is minimal. Netball NSW will continue to provide updates on which areas may be in a position to re-commence netball activities as announcements are made.
There may also be the opportunity to hold localised Koori Gala Days later in the year if restrictions allow. Netball NSW staff will remain in contact regarding where those events may go ahead.
Finally, at this stage Netball NSW is not abandoning the Court Craft Summer Series, due to commence at Netball Central on 11 October, however the start date will be pushed back to no earlier than Monday 1 November. Netball NSW will continue to provide updates on the Summer Series and wishes to hold open the opportunity to offer a shortened competition of some kind to allow people to get back on court in Sydney if circumstances allow.
Additional Information
Once again, a reminder that the best source of information for the latest COVID-19 updates as they relate to sport is the NSW Office of Sport COVID-19 Latest Information page. For clarification on what is and isn’t allowed in particular locations visit the NSW Health COVID-19 Rules page. Memo’s and links are also uploaded to the Netball NSW COVID-19 Information page.
Netball NSW will continue to provide updates as significant changes develop and further information relating to specific competitions or programs mentioned in this update will be sent to stakeholders. As always, for any further information, please feel free to contact your Regional Manager, Association contact person or any Netball NSW staff member for assistance.
