- Minister for Community Sport
In line with the directions of Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton, the difficult but necessary decision has been made to halt the resumption of full-contact training and competition for people aged 19 and over in regional Victoria.
Full-contact training was scheduled to resume on Monday 13 July, with full-contact competition set to return on 20 July.
However, with a significant increase in coronavirus cases in Melbourne, and active cases in a number of many regional communities, the Chief Health Officer has determined that community sport in regional Victoria must remain non-contact.
This decision will be tough for many regional Victorian clubs and communities and it was not taken lightly – but is essential to slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives.
In better news for many of our regions, full training and competition for players aged 18 and under can continue.
Further easing of restrictions, including target dates, will be considered by Professor Sutton by the end of July.
The Victorian Government will continue to work with the sport and recreation sector to explore recovery options and help clubs return to play when it is safe to do so.
The Sport and Recreation Return to Play Expert Advisory Panel is continuing to review return to play plans and provide advice to State Sporting Associations (SSA), with more than 90 plans reviewed to date and another 60 from clubs, that have been referred back to the relevant SSA.
The Victorian Government is also supporting grassroots sport through the $40 million Community Sport Sector Short-term Survival Package, which has already provided more than 5000 clubs across Victoria with a grant of $1000 each to help them remain operationally viable during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Government is also investing a further $68 million in shovel-ready community sport and active recreation infrastructure projects across the state through the Community Sport Infrastructure Stimulus Program, which will stimulate jobs and economic activity and deliver fantastic new projects to local communities.
Further information on the new restrictions is available on the DHHS website.
