Our Dearest Football Community,
It is with a heavy heart that the MFA officially announce the abandonment of the 2021 Football Season.
The decision was not taken lightly and is a direct result of the current health pandemic that has seen Greater Sydney placed in lockdown since 6pm Saturday, 26 June 2021.
Whilst lockdown is scheduled to end on Saturday, 28 August, the status of the pandemic suggests that lockdown will once again be extended. In reaching this decision, we have consulted various Government agencies and monitored daily updates from the Premier, the Minister for Health and the Chief Medical Officer. Currently there is no Government sanctioned roadmap out of the lockdown for sport, which has left the MFA Board with no alternative but to call an end to the 2021 Season.
The NSW Government’s health advice, particularly with the current state of daily infections and vaccination rates, made it difficult to provide a safe environment to continue with the Winter Season. Above all, the safety of our community is our number one priority and could not be jeopardised.
As the 2021 season has been abandoned, there will be no winners declared and no Premierships awarded. As a guiding principle, no teams will be promoted nor relegated based on results in the 2021 Season. As a starting point, teams will commence the 2022 season in the same grade (division) that they finished the 2021 season (at the point where the season was abandoned). For example, if your team finished 2021 in U14 Division 1, it will be graded in U15 Division 1 to start 2022. As always, teams will be assessed at the point of nomination in 2022.
With respect to registration fees, it should be noted that a players registration fee is made up of several components. There are levies applied by Football Australia and Football NSW, which include personal accident insurance. The MFA has petitioned Football NSW and Football Australia to apply a discount on registration levies, which is under consideration.
The MFA is also undertaking its own financial budget review following the decision to abandon the season. Any discounts will be provided to member clubs.
A players registration fee is paid to and managed by your local club. The levies detailed above are factored into the final fee, as are the costs of playing football for your club, such as ground hire, uniforms, equipment, referees, trophies, maintenance, etc. It is not unreasonable to assume that clubs have incurred many of these costs. Please allow your clubs committee an opportunity to review their finances at this time. Please remember that local clubs are run by community volunteers that we owe plenty to.
On behalf of the MFA Board and staff, we would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Macarthur Football Family for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. We are sure you are all as disappointed as we are, but we look forward to 2022 with optimism.
We encourage you all to continue to follow the health advice and look after one another.
If you or someone you know is struggling to cope, please consider assistance from the following services:
Lifeline
https://www.lifeline.org.au/
13 11 14
Beyond Blue
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline
1800 551 800
NSW Mental Health
1800 011 511
We can’t wait to see you on the pitch in 2022.
Yours in Football,
Chairman Darcy Lound
on behalf of the MFA Board of Directors.
