The A-League could be forced to postpone several matches following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The competition was scheduled to return after Christmas due to the late conclusion of the 2019/20 season, but the worsening coronavirus situation in New South Wales has put multiple games in serious doubt.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New South Wales climbed to 71 this weekend, prompting several states to shut their borders from midnight on Sunday.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced new lockdown restrictions for Greater Sydney as the northern beaches cluster continues to spread.
With six A-League teams currently in New South Wales, Football Australia’s head of leagues Greg O’Rourke said the competition would be prepared to postpone fixtures impacted by coronavirus restrictions.
“The learnings and the collaborative dynamics created from the delivery the 2019/20 season are invaluable to us and on behalf of the thousands of people involved in delivering the last season, I can tell you that we are determined to deliver a great showcase of Australian football once again, both on and off the field,” O’Rourke said.
“We have 218 games to play in the next six months, and our plan is to deliver all of those games.
“Where games are impacted by border closures, we will postpone those matches to be played at the earliest opportunity.
“We are closely tracking and reviewing Government guidance, and building our plans to ensure that we have the flexibility to respond dynamically to any guidance changes. The safety, health and wellbeing of our players, fans and staff is our ultimate priority.”
The 2020/21 season is scheduled to commence on Sunday, December 27th with Western Sydney Wanders hosting newcomers Macarthur FC at Bankwest Stadium.
It was initially hoped the season opener would be held at full capacity, but newly-introduced lockdown restrictions could prevent a packed crowd.