All of us at Avalon are excited about the return of competition starting this Friday! Our Division 1 U18 and W18 sides kick off proceedings at Careel Bay on Friday night. As such, here’s a checklist for everyone as we finally get back to football.
FACILITIES
July will be very different to normal. There will be no access to the Clubhouse, no access to the changing rooms, no canteen or BBQ for the month, due to COVID-19 restrictions. The club shop will be open 9-11am on SATURDAY 4th JULY only for shorts/socks etc. It is cashless so card only please. The toilets will be open, but please respect the rules on 1 person at a time, and utilise the hand sanitizer before and after using, and please spray and wipe the toilet seat. We are hoping to have a coffee cart on site Saturday for members to utilise.
VOLUNTEERS
We need volunteers to assist with setting up our fields on Saturday and Sunday as well as during the school holidays. Careel Bay will be extremely busy and we can’t get the fields ready to play without your help! The club runs on the goodwill of volunteers from the President down, so please if you can spare an hour over the weekend, let us know! media@avalonsoccerclub.com.au
TEAMS
Simple checklist here. Your club shirt (numbered in the competition teams U12+), Avalon shorts and socks, boots and shinpads. Do you know who you are playing and where? The MWFA website is your friend. Also we have all the field locations, and social distancing rules for you here. If in doubt, contact compsec@avalonsoccerclub.com.au.
Do you know what time to be at your game? Have you told the team manger if you can’t make it? If its raining check the Northern Beaches Council website for field closures for training and games, and wait for confirmation from your manager if the game has been cancelled or moved. Always presume that the game is on.
For the juniors, do you know the rules? You can print a copy and keep them in the kit bag? If you are at home, do you have a game leader ready? If you are a parent, and it isn’t critical that you come to the game and watch, then don’t. Managing the numbers at each game is critical in managing the return to playing in the COVID-19 world. We need to keep 1.5m between spectators at all times.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY MATCHES
In an effort to ensure as much football is available to as many players, the MWFA have scheduled games throughout the upcoming holidays. Whilst we appreciate that this doesn’t work for everyone, it’s important that we treat these matches as we would any other game, especially for our competition teams. As such please give your managers lots of notice if you cannot play any of these games. If you are a coach or manager and cannot make it, find a proxy for you for that game, and ensure they know the procedure. Same for our game leaders.
There are procedures in place for borrowing players, so speak to managers and age coordinators for the most up to date information. And again, we need help! Setting up pitches, packing away and lending a hand around the club.
TRAINING
Training during the holidays is not obligatory. If you matches and training on the same days then don’t feel like you have to train. Talk as a team and make the decision that works best for the whole group. There are a lot of games in a short period coming up. Also due to rescheduled matches training on Careel Bay 1 and 2 is NOT PERMITTED after 6pm during the school holidays. We have a number of competition games scheduled and need to set up the fields.