Netball Victoria cancels Warrnambool-bound 2020 state titles

The city was planning to welcome the championships for the first time since 1993.

But uncertainty surrounding the coronarvirus pandemic, which has brought sport to a standstill globally, forced Netball Victoria to rule a line through this year's competition which was slated for October.

Warrnambool City's Marg Morgan said she understood the decision and remained optimistic the association would be considered again in coming years.

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"No one knows what the future is holding at the moment and I think the first priority would be to get our grassroots sports back happening," she said.

"To run a state event like that, the athletes may not have had any competition or games.

"My understanding is we'll still be first cab off the rank so to speak when it comes back around."

Netball Victoria rotates the state championships between metro and country venues.

This year was pencilled in for the city but an upgrade at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Parkville gave a country region the chance to host.

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Warrnambool City, which had council backing, was given the honour.

It now hopes it can be reconsidered in either 2021 - depending on how the SNHC development is tracking - or 2022.

Morgan said the association had already started its preparations for this year's now-cancelled competition.

"At the start of the year we'd had new goal posts fitted to the outdoor courts, so we were starting our processes," she said of the Caramut Road complex.

"But unfortunately the world that we're in at the moment makes everything so unpredictable."

The state titles include junior grades as well as an open competition.

Netball in the south-west is postponed until May 31 at the earliest due to COVID-19 isolation restrictions.

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