Club president "worried" kids might leave football, netball after COVID-19

Hawks leader Wayne Promitz has joined a growing chorus of south-west clubs eager to get junior competitions up and running, even if senior seasons are scrapped in 2020.

Three presidents - Steve Hoy (Koroit), Simon Perry (Warrnambool) and Jason Moloney (Old Collegians) - believe it's imperative children and teenagers have an outlet with physical and mental benefits.

Promitz agrees and thinks a year without games could be detrimental long-term.

"I am really worried kids will walk away from the game and I am sure the AFL would be too," he said.

"It will be interesting to see when we can train what will happen. Will kids decide rather than play five or 10 games, I might just take this year off?

"I don't think anybody will say 'I wasn't going to play but now because there's only five games I will play', I think it's much more likely it will go the other way. There might be a reduction."

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The state government eased social distancing restrictions, aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19, on Monday.

AFL Western District is waiting for Return to Train protocols from AFL Victoria before signing off on groups of 10 completing organised training.

Clubs are still in the dark as to whether matches will be played at country level in 2020.

Some have expressed concerns at running senior competitions without crowds, citing the financial burden, but would be open to running juniors.

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Promitz's Hawks, which are now based at Deakin University, only play in the Hampden junior competition on Sundays.

They have six football and netball sides - from under 16s to under 12s - and have less expenses.

"It's cheaper. We can run on the smell of an oily rag. We don't have player payments or anything like that," he said.

"Juniors is a $2 raffle ticket as you drive in and a pie at the canteen and that more than covers our costs for the year."

But Promitz conceded it would be hard to run a competition with crowd restrictions, even those in the federal government's stage three plan which will allow 100 people to gather.

"There would be no point running kids' footy if there was no parents there to watch," he said.

"You do get up to those numbers pretty quick, plus trainers and coaches.

"Plus there's the different age groups - would people have to come for their under 12 game and leave afterwards so the under 16s could come in?

"When the restrictions are eased, you'd still need more than 100 people. We have maybe 400 or 500 come through on a Sunday.

"You'll need a fairly heavy removal of crowd gathering restrictions to make it worthwhile."

Promitz said playing Hampden and Warrnambool and District junior games across two days - Saturdays and Sundays - could ease crowding if senior seasons were cancelled.

But he conceded that too had its obstacle.

"Football, I don't think we'd mind which day we'd play on because there's no permits between leagues anymore," he said.

"Netball is more problematic. Most netballers play Saturday for District league and Sunday for Hampden league."

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