We hope that all our community are keeping both safe and well.

We wanted to connect with you to keep you all abreast of developments as they occur and remind all to ensure they are looking after their health and well-being.

Our communities in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan area, Central Coast, Lower Blue Mountains and Wollongong are currently in lockdown until 11.59 pm Friday, July 30. At the time of writing, Orange, Blayney and Cabonne are subject to stay-at-home orders until 12.01 am Wednesday, July 28.

We would encourage our Touch Football community to continue to be vigilant to the quickly changing circumstances so we can be back to playing in the quickest possible time. Also, we would ask Affiliates subject to the stay-at-home orders; you remind your members that under the Public Health Orders (PHO), they must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason.

The reasons you may leave your home include:

• Shopping for food or other essential goods and services;
• Medical care or compassionate needs (people can leave home to have a COVID-19 vaccination unless you have been identified as a close contact);
• Exercise outdoors in groups of 2 or fewer (unless members of the same household);
• Work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.
• Masks must be worn indoors (not including the home) and in outdoor settings where you cannot socially distance from others (e.g. while queuing for takeaway).

We also acknowledge that several Season 1 competitions have been impacted by the lockdown and are currently in limbo. Our staff has been reaching out to these affiliates to gain an understanding of their circumstance and plans. Pleasingly a vast majority are keen to complete their competition, and we are supportive of this. Whilst we do not know when the lockdown will see a return to play for community sport, we do wish to advise that for those impacted competitions, we will support and encourage the completion of their season under different playing conditions. E.g. playing of doubleheaders and or variations etc. This will include the NSWTA suspending the eligibility rule that does not allow qualification for the Vawdon Cup by the staging of doubleheaders. We understand that these are extenuating circumstances and will look to work with affiliates in this regard for eligibility for the 2021 Vawdon Cup.

We will continue monitoring and talking to the affected affiliates regarding further impacts concerning any extension that the government might place upon the lockdown.

With questions around the Vawdon Cup, we intend to see the event proceed at the time of writing. Staff have been liaising with Affiliates who entered an EOI to ascertain the impact on the preparedness for the event. It is fair to say that the effects are wide and varied. We have also engaged with the NSWTA High-Performance Unit on views of a suitable time frame for athletes to be ready once a return to community sport is known.

What is clear from the information we have received, regardless of coming out of lockdown on July 31, most Affiliates will not be able to commence the Vawdon Cup on the scheduled date of August 20. Therefore, the commencement date will be delayed. Staff are currently working on alternate versions of the event’s structure, and we will provide further advice when a clearer picture of return to play is known.

We ask that all of our touch football community, whether in lockdown or not, keep up to date with the current restrictions in place that may affect you and stay informed of the current health advice from NSW Health available here.

NSWTA 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 impacting our sport.

Would you please ensure you look after yourself, your family, and the wider community? We would encourage members to reach out to and check in on your touch footy mates or those you have a connection with from the affected communities.

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 impacting our sport.

Best wishes and stay safe.