Last week, Gridiron Australia joined all other American football federations and governing bodies throughout the world and suspended all football-related activities indefinitely.
Dear Gridiron Community,
I’m writing to you to provide an update on Gridiron Australia’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). As you know this is a constantly evolving situation and we will continue to base all of our decisions on the latest advice from the relevant authorities and experts.
The health and safety of our players, volunteers and the entire Gridiron community continue to be our number one priority and while we all want to see our game back up and running as soon as possible, we won’t make any decisions that put anyone at risk.
Please see below an update on where things currently stand.
Suspension of the 2020 National Championships
Gridiron Australia has already announced its decision to suspend the 2020 National Championships. We are working closely with our partners to assess our options and I’m hopeful we can provide you with an update on what the status of the competition is as soon as we are able.
Today, following a meeting of the Gridiron Australia board the decision was made to postpone all Gridiron activities until further notice, effective immediately.
All games and training, contact and flag, must cease.
Members are not to run any event relying on the GA public liability insurance policy without the express written permission of the GA board.
This will be reviewed when Government advice regarding social distancing changes.
This recommendation covers games (flag and full contact) competitions and training. Although this decision has not been made lightly, it has been made with the interests of the participants, families and the broader community as the priority.
The decision was made taking on board all public health information, and it has been made to provide clarity to the gridiron community in a challenging and disruptive time.
These are indeed unprecedented times and I am sure many of you are feeling anxious and concerned about what is to come. In terms of the game, Gridiron Australia will endeavour to keep you informed as things progress, but the priority must be on each of us doing everything we can to limit the spread of this virus.
Any decision we make is with the health and welfare of our players, staff, volunteers, fans and our community in front of mind.
I want to thank the entire gridiron community for their ongoing support under these extraordinary circumstances. We know that this is bigger than football and is something that everyone in the world is trying to come to grips with.
We ask that you listen to the advice of experts and ensure you are doing your bit to help mitigate the impacts. Most importantly though, continue to look out for each other. The gridiron community both at home and abroad is strong and we need to stand together as we navigate this issue over the coming weeks and months.
We will be in touch as soon as we have any further information.
Yours sincerely,
Darrin Mitchell
Chairman
Gridiron Australia
Coronavirus situation in Australia
As of midnight March 31, there have been 4,560 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia and a total of 20 deaths attributed to the virus.