Several ideas are on the table that will allow the NSW State Cup to proceed as scheduled on December 3, but plans are being hampered by a lack of clarity around COVID-19 restrictions easing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NSW Touch Football general manager Dean Russell said it all depended on information from the NSW state government on Public Health Orders.
"I wouldn't say it's frustrating, it's just difficult," he said.
"You've got to put five or six different plans in place and then as an announcement is made you take one off the table or replace it with another one because things might go in a different direction."
Despite the uncertainty around what community sport will look like come State Cup time, Mr Russell has grown increasingly confident in the last fortnight the event will be able to proceed.
"We have been in discussions with council around different dates in the new year to hold the event if we can't run it in December," he said.
"We're certainly not saying we're going ahead blindly - but we are looking at a couple of options if for whatever reason we were not able to hold it as scheduled, we could possibly run it post January 1, 2022."
New South Wales is expected to soon reach the 80 per cent double dose vaccination rate which would trigger the return of community sport.
If, as being forecast, that is October 25, it would give State Cup organisers more than a month to prepare. It's being welcomed with open arms as Mr Russell just wants to see players return to the field.
"We're hopeful it doesn't have to get pushed back because we just want to get people out and playing because it's the jewel in our crown," he said.
"People are crawling off walls if they've been locked down, but parts of regional and rural NSW have been pretty good.
"Up (in Port Macquarie) you've virtually been able to do everything, but all of a sudden you're now in lockdown."
A cloud, however, will continue to hover overhead with government and health officials ultimately having the final say in whether the event gained the green light.
"There is a lot to work through, there is a lot to churn through, but the real important stuff for us is the clarity of what the Public Health Orders are going to be," Mr Russell said.
"That will determine the way in which we deliver the State Cup and the viability of the event on the first Friday of December or whether it might have to be pushed back."
What else is happening in news, sport?
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- You can support us with a subscription
- Follow us on Twitter: @portmacnews
- Follow us on Instagram: @portmacnews
- Follow us on Google News