Return to Training conditions released

Football Victoria (FV) is pleased to release the Return to Training conditions after the easing of the Stage 3 restrictions relating to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Whilst Victorian Government eased a range of restrictions on the community from Wednesday, clarity has been sought by the major State Sporting Associations with regards to how sporting bodies, their clubs and participants would be able to undertake training activity.

The exact details regarding that process were released today by Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV). Following that advice, FV has outlined football-specific mandatory conditions for Return to Training, as correlated to the latest Government advice.

The full Return To Training conditions can be found in our Return To Training portal here: https://www.footballvictoria.com.au/return-football

Clubs who are leaseholders at their training venues must seek clarification and approval from the landlord (e.g. Council) regarding access to venues and any conditions they may have in relation to that access. 

Football Victoria continues to work with the Victorian Government, SRV and a range of Local Government Authorities to ensure that all clubs can return to their normal facilities as soon as possible.

FV Chief Executive Peter Filopoulos said he was delighted to see the state’s footballers return to the field.

“We’ve got many thousands of footballers who’ve been patiently waiting to return to the field and we know it’s going to be a thrill for them to get back out there,” Filopoulos said. “We understand that it’s only training, and a modified version at that, but football plays such a big part in the lives of so many Victorians and this news will come as a huge relief to so many of them.”

“However, we remind all clubs and all participants to read the rules and to understand exactly how they will implement the Return to Training conditions. With regards to this pandemic, we still have a long way to go, and the football community’s role is to make sure we observe these rules as strictly as possible. The safety of the community remains our primary concern.”

These conditions are expected to evolve in the coming weeks as per the latest health advice from the Victorian Government. FV will keep the football community notified of any major changes.

FV continues to work through a range of different options with regards to competition schedules and remains committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure competitive play can resume when further restrictions are lifted.