Opinion: Stalled season proves it's more than just a game

Coaches should be playing different scenarios in their heads, bracing themselves for the unknown.

Gate-keepers should be waving cars through and volunteers selling raffle tickets.

Canteens should be filled with food to feed the masses and bars ready to dish out beers to those there for an afternoon with their mates.

Instead football fields and netball courts in south-west Victoria will remain dormant, a victim of the coronavirus sweeping Australia and the world.

Warrnambool and District league had this weekend to itself, to showcase its competition to the region.

The Hampden league was preparing for its season-openers on April 4.

Instead both competitions are in hiatus until at least May 31, if not longer.

The hundreds of people it takes to make a club tick - players, coaches, committee members and supporters - are sidelined.

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People turn to what they know best during a time of uncertainty.

But this time the comfort of a weekly trip to watch their team play is not an option.

The ramifications are far-reaching.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, who on Sunday made the tough call to postponed its season, considers this the "most serious threat to our game in 100 years".

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Elite clubs face huge financial hits and staff will lose their jobs.

Those same issues will filter down to country level where the money thrown around while substantially less, is just as significant to a club's fortunes and survival.

All clubs will suffer. For some it might be the death knell.

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Football and netball clubs are based around community, a sense of belonging and everyone chipping in for the greater good.

They will require all hands on deck and innovative thinking to survive and thrive once given the all-clear to play.

Players might have to take pay cuts. Some might choose to play for nothing at all.

Retaining and gaining sponsorship will be a tough task given many businesses are themselves facing financial hardships but it will be crucial.

These clubs are proud and defiant. Their fans passionate.

Together they'll ensure sport wins.

The importance of football and netball is not lost on those people.

But for those who question its place in society and throw around the oft-used phrase "they just kick a ball around", maybe this period of self-isolation and social distancing will emphasis how it's more than a game.

It gives people enjoyment and brings them together for a common goal or with a common dream. And that's not something to scoff at.

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