Good afternoon all and we hope you are all well.
We are pleased to provide a further update to you on the 2021 Junior State Cup.
While we can provide this information as being correct as of this date, with the COVID-19 situation, it must be acknowledged it is also subject to change.
It is imperative that this information is passed on to all your teams, team management and parents.
COVID Safe Protocols.
As previously advised current Public Health Orders (PHO) only allow that across the precincts we can have no more than 3000 persons at any one time on site. (including participants, officials logistical support personnel and spectators).
This dictates that we will need to operate on the Arrive Play Leave protocol and we MUST adhere to the one parent only rule per player. At the conclusion of your last game in your sectional play YOUR teams MUST immediately vacate the venue. There are to be NO team debriefs on the venue.
All teams must have completely vacated the venue within 25 minutes of the last match in their section being complete. No teams can enter the venue until 40 minutes prior to their scheduled game time.
Please note we have already been advised by Local Area Commands and NSW Health they will be auditing both events to ensure compliance.
Each affiliate will be issued with colour coded wrist bands that align with their team’s sectional play for that one parent. i.e. for under 10’s 12 wrist bands per team will be supplied and for 12s through to 18’s, 14 wrist bands per team will be supplied. There will also be three (3) for the team management which must be worn.
Entry to the venue through the security checkpoints will not be permitted without the correct colour wrist band. The band must be worn. Further information around this will be supplied to affiliates in the coming week.
Each adult entering the venue must also check-in via the SERVICE NSW QR codes located at the security checkpoints and around the venue. This is a requirement of our COVID Safety plan to allow the event to proceed.
Also please remind your parents that due to the Arrive Play Leave nature of this year’s events pop-up tents or shades are not required nor permitted.
We are also aware that even in the best-case scenario, that the COVID environment can change overnight, and restrictions put in place that may place the events in jeopardy. A reduction in allowable numbers from the current Public Health Order in relation to community sport gatherings does represent a significant risk to the running of either venue. This does represent a situation whereby financial loses may be felt by both our affiliates participants and also the NSW Touch Association.
Parental Behaviour
All Affiliates are to remind all parents that by entering an NSWTA event that they are bound by the Representative Player Parents Policy. A copy is available here
As such for any breaches parents are liable to the penalties and sanctions available to the NSWTA via the Constitution, the Disciplinary Policy, and the Disciplinary Regulations.
This allows the NSWTA to take action for any breach of the policy and this also now includes references to COVID Safe breaches and ignoring directions to comply. This includes but not limited to the NSWTA dealing with
- the parent,
- their child,
- their child’s team and/or
- child’s club
by having the power to suspend, disqualify, reprimand, fine, bond, ban, deduct competition points or otherwise deal with any person involved with Touch Football (including, but not limited to, teams, clubs, players, coaches, spectators, team/club officials and association officials) in accordance with the Disciplinary Regulations, regarding any incident arising from an activity conducted by a TFA Authority. The incident may have occurred before, during or after the conduct of the activity, within the confines of the field, activity or venue or its immediate surrounds, or elsewhere if directly related to a Touch Football activity of any sort.
Working with Children Check
This is a reminder to all Affiliates of your obligations, first and foremost by law and also as a condition of entering an NSWTA event. That is that you MUST have undertaken your Working with Children Checks and verified all relevant personnel.
Please ensure that your affiliate is undertaking the correct procedure for verifying these checks.
Northern Conference Buses
Please be aware that due to the COVID Safety Plan and the need to move persons on and off the venue quickly without gathering, the previously used model of morning and evening bus drop-offs from Town and Flynns Beach will not take place this year under the Arrive Play Leave Protocol.
In discussion with the Traffic Management Consultants, running buses under the Arrive Play Leave protocol and maintaining exact route schedules presents a significant risk of gathering and not being able to move persons off the venue in the time frame allowed to ensure we maintain our adherence to the Public Health Order.
It should be remembered that on a normal year some 12000 to 14000 people are moving into the venue at any one time. For this year’s event that is reduced to 3000 people at any one time. Parking via P1, P2, and P4 will be able to provide for the reduced number. Also, the new P3 will be available for those scheduled to play in the Stadium and F1 precinct along with the Referee contingent. For teams who may be using minibusses, these will have access to park behind West Tuffins or in the front of the Stadium hill car park. Further details will be published over the next two weeks.
Representative Coach Accreditation
Our office has been advising Affiliates around issues in relation to Coach Accreditation. Some questions have been raised with the office as to “when did this come in”.
To quickly clarify, Team Management Accreditation has been required for over 20 years and has always been advised in the Conditions of Entry for all NSWTA representative Events.
Over the past 24 months, all national accreditation has moved to a new platform called the Nest. All coaches have had the opportunity to register and provide their RPL on this portal during this time. TFA intends for The Nest to be a hub where all members of our sport go to develop their knowledge of the game. This platform will also provide a whole-of-sport education profile. Unfortunately, despite direct communication from our office (over 6 occasions in the last 12 months alone) and notifications to our affiliates, it appears many of our members have not yet completed the process. TFA has advised they will be shortly closing the opportunity for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) so any accredited persons who have not yet created a profile, will not receive RPL for previous courses sat and will be forced under the national accreditation scheme to sit the course again. We do not want to see any member have to re-sit the course.
The importance of coaching accreditation is critical to our success in the development of junior players along the pathway from the community, to representative to state to national. It guarantees that our coaches have done the appropriate training and education process in Touch Football coaching. In turn, it allows our participants to be provided a service we want every touch footballer to have, being developed and improved by industry recognised level of education.
There is also an element of risk to the affiliate being that a coach without accreditation does present in areas of insurance, child protection, and member protection.
We do realise that with COVID 19 impacts throughout 2020 the ability to facilitate courses has been hampered. Therefore, for the 2021 Junior State Cup, we require that all accredited coaches not yet on the Nest, need to create their profile and upload any RPL. For those yet to sit an accreditation course we ask that they create their profile and purchase the course if required.
Schedule
Please note below the schedules for both Section and Block play at both the Northern and Southern Conference. Sections will be played on Tuffins Lane and West Tuffins and Blocks in the Stadium precinct.
Teams ARE NOT permitted to have game debriefs at the fields. They must IMMEDIATELY leave the venue at the conclusion of their Section.
Northern Conference
Friday
Section 1 Entry from 7.50 am Games 8.30am – 9.00am – 9.30am
10 Boys Pool A
10 Girls Pool A
12 Boys
14 Girls Pools A & B
14 Boys Pool C
Section 2 Entry from 10.50 am Games 11.30am – 12.00noon – 12.30pm
10 Boys Pool B
10 Girls Pool B
12 Girls
16 Boys
Section 3 Entry from 1.50 am Games 2.30pm – 3.00pm – 3.30pm
10 Boys Pool C
10 Girls Pool C
14 Girls Pools C
14 Boys Pools A & B
16 Girls Pool A
Section 4 Entry from 3.50 am Games 4.30pm – 5.00pm – 5.30pm
16 Girls Pools B & C
Block 1 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 8.00am to 1.30pm
18 Girls
Block 2 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 2.00pm to 7.30pm
18 Boys
Saturday
Section 1 Entry from 7.20 am Games 8.00am – 8.30am – 9.00am
10 Boys Pool B
10 Girls Pool B
12 Girls
16 Boys
Section 2 Entry from 10.20 am Games 11.00am – 11.30am – 12.00noon
10 Boys Pool C
10 Girls Pool C
14 Boys
16 Girls Pools B & C
Section 3 Entry from 1.20 am Games 2.00pm – 2.30pm – 3.00pm
10 Boys Pool A
10 Girls Pool A
12 Boys
14 Girls Pools A & B
16 Boys Pool C
Section 4 Entry from 3.20 pm Games 4pm – 4.30pm – 5.30pm
14 Girls Pools C
14 Boys Pool A Entry from 3.20pm
14 Boys Pool B Entry from 3.50pm
14 Boys Pool C Entry from 4.20pm
16 Girls Pool A
Block 1 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 8.00am to 1.00pm
18 Boys
Block 2 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 2.00pm to 7.00pm
18 Girls
Sunday
Section 1 Entry from 7.20 am Games 8.00am – 8.30am
10 Boys
10 Girls Pool C
12 Girls
12 Boys
14 Girls
16 Girls
All teams are to exit venue at completion of their game in Section 1.
Quarter Finals Games 10.30am – 11.00am
10 Boys entry from 9.50am
10 Girls entry from 9.50am
12 Boys entry from 9.50am
14 Girls entry from 9.50am
16 Girls entry from 9.50am
16 Boys entry from 9.50am
18 Girls entry from 9.50am
12 girls entry from 10.20am
14 girls entry from 10.20am
18 boys entry from 10.20am
All losing Quarterfinal teams are to exit the venue at the completion of their game.
Teams that progress can remain at the venue for the remainder of the day.
Southern Conference
Friday
Section 1 Entry from 7.20 am Games 8.00am – 8.30am – 9.00am
10 Boys Pool A
12 Boys Pool A & C
12 Girls
Section 2 Entry from 10.20 am Games 11.00am – 12.00noon – 12.30pm
10 Boys Pool B
14 Boys Pool C
16 Girls
16 Boys Pool A
Section 3 Entry from 1.20 am Games 2.00pm – 2.30pm – 3.00pm
10 Boys Pool A
10 Girls Pool A & B
12 Girls
12 Boys Pool B
14 Girls Pools A & B
16 Boys Pools B & C
Section 4 Entry from 3.50 am Games 4.30pm – 5.00pm – 5.30pm
10 Girls Pool C
10 Boys Pool B
14 Girls Pool C
14 Boys Pools A & B
16 Girls
Block 1 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 8.00am to 12.00noon
18 Boys
Block 2 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 1.30pm to 7.00pm
18 Girls
Saturday
Section 1 Entry from 7.20 am Games 8.00am – 8.30am – 9.00am
10 Boys Pool B
12 Girls
14 Girls Pools A & C
Section 2 Entry from 10.20 am Games 11.00am – 11.30am – 12.00noon
10 Boys Pool A
12 Boys
14 Boys Pool A
16 Girls Pool A
Section 3 Entry from 1.20 am Games 2.00pm – 2.30pm – 3.00pm
10 Boys Pool B
10 Girls Pool C
14 Boys Pool B
16 Girls Pool B
16 Boys Pools A & C
Section 4 Entry from 3.20 pm Games 5.00pm – 5.30pm – 6.00pm
10 Girls Pools A & B
12 Girls Pool B
14 Girls Pools B & C
14 Boys Pool B
16 Boys Pool B
Block 1 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 8.00am to 1.30pm
18 Girls
Block 2 Entry from 40min prior to first game Games 3.00pm to 7.00pm
18 Boys
Sunday
Section 1 Entry from 7.20 am Games 8.00am – 8.30am
10 Boys
12 Girls
12 Boys Pools A & B
14 Boys Pools A & B
18 Girls
18 Boys Pool B
All teams are to exit the venue at the completion of their game in Section 1.
Quarter Finals Games 10.30am – 11.00am
10 Girls entry from 9.50am
12 Boys entry from 9.50am
14 Girls entry from 9.50am
16 Boys entry from 9.50am
18 Girls entry from 9.50am
10 Boys entry from 10.20am
12 Girls entry from 10.20am
14 Boys entry from 10.20am
16 Girls entry from 10.20am
18 Boys entry from 10.20am
All losing Quarterfinal teams are to exit the venue at the completion of their game.
Teams that progress can remain at the venue for the remainder of the day.
State Final
Due to complications with available field bookings across the metropolitan area, the advertised date of March 6 has had to be moved to Sunday, March 7. This is of benefit to Country affiliates who may make the State Finals as they will not have to travel on a Friday. The below schedule also allows for a reasonable return travel time.
A reminder that for 2021 we have advertised that the State Finals will be played in a best of three series between the winners of divisions at each Conference.
The venue for the State Final will be the home of NSWTA Canterbury Velodrome and Waterworth Park on Bayview Avenue Earlwood.
Schedule
Round 1
9.30am 16 Boys 16 Girls 14 Girls 12 Girls
10.10am 18 Girls 14 Boys 12 Boys
10.50am 18 Boys 10 Boys 10 Girls
Round 2
11.30am 16 Boys 16 Girls 14 Girls 12 Girls
12.10pm 18 Girls 14 Boys 12 Boys
12.50pm 18 Boys 10 Boys 10 Girls
Round 3
1.30pm 16 Boys 16 Girls 14 Girls 12 Girls
2.10pm 18 Girls 14 Boys 12 Boys
2.50pm 18 Boys 10 Boys 10 Girls
We will continue to monitor the situation throughout the State, NSW Health, the Office of Sport and Sport NSW. We will communicate any future recommendations, changes to COVID-19 Safety Plans or Public Health Orders that impact on our sport.
Best wishes and stay safe.
Dean Russell
General Manager
