The AFL’s commitment to a level playing field for all 18 clubs means Victorian-based teams may have to hold back from training as full squads until rivals in other states are granted the same freedom.
The AFL is finalising its return-to-play plans this week, with an announcement on a 2020 season restart possible as soon as Tuesday.
One key aspect under consideration is training protocols, after the 10 Victorian clubs were among the professional sporting organisations given special exemptions by their state government to operate at full capacity.
The caveat, under a ruling announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday, is that they must do so in exclusive facilities away from the general public.
AFL clubs in NSW and Queensland are likely to be handed similar exemptions, as their NRL counterparts have already been given.
But it is unclear where AFL clubs in Western Australia and South Australia stand on exemptions, with both states currently limiting all outdoor activities to groups of 10 people or less.
For now, an AFL spokesperson said the league would maintain current competition-wide restrictions which limit players to training in pairs.
“The AFL is still enforcing the current national AFL protocols for all clubs which restricts training to only two players at a time while it continues to finalise its arrangements on its return-to-play model, to be announced in the coming days,” the spokesperson said.
Complicating matters is the fact West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide have players still serving mandatory quarantine periods after returning from other states.
Some of those are in quarantine until May 21, which could push back the AFL’s plan for full training before a possible season restart next month.
If WA and SA clubs are not granted permission by their state governments to train as full groups, they could be forced to temporarily relocate their operations in order to help recommence the AFL season.
On Monday, the Victorian government paved the way for the AFL clubs under its jurisdiction to operate at full capacity from Wednesday.
But the premier’s announcement came with some provisos to ensure community health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
“If they’re using a training facility, an indoor gym for instance, or an outdoor area, it must be exclusively for them,” Andrews said.
“This is about containment, it’s about managing a risk and in the event that there is positive tests we’re in a very strong position to be able to contact-trace and take whatever appropriate public health measures are deemed so.
“This is exclusively for those professional sports and they need to have control of the space they’re in, and they need to listen to the advice of the chief health officer.
“It’s been a very positive partnership, not just with footy (AFL) but with rugby league and other codes, and I’m confident that they understand that there are risks and they need to do everything they can to mitigate those.”
