Netball Queensland today took part in an Industry update from the Department of Sport and Recreation about how the timeline for easing restrictions in Queensland relates specifically to the resumption of organised sport across the State.
The Department of Sport and Recreation has subsequently confirmed that stage 1 of the State Government recovery plan commencing this Friday 15 May, does not include the resumption of any organised sporting activity, including training or playing. The outdoor, non-contact activity gatherings of up to 10 people permitted by the Government in stage 1 is intended for families, groups of friends or members of the same household.
The current direction from the Department of Sport and Recreation, under the guidance of Queensland Health, would see training activity resume under strict guidelines at the beginning of stage 2, currently scheduled for Friday 12 June.
Netball Queensland was also informed that Queensland Police will be actively monitoring community sporting venues from this weekend, to ensure members of the public are adhering to the State Government’s stage 1 guidelines.
It is important to note that members must continue to adhere to the guidelines of the relevant current stage of the recovery plan until Netball Queensland receives approval from the Department of Sport and Recreation to progress to the next stage, and provides formal notification to Associations and Clubs of that approval. Breaches of this may not be covered by insurance policies.
As has been the case since the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions, all decisions will be made in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of our members and the community. Returning to the courts as soon as it is safe and possible to do so remains the absolute priority for Netball Queensland and we will continue to work diligently with the State Government toward this goal.
The Netball Queensland Board will convene in the first week of June with further updates to be provided following that meeting, including an endorsed set of Netball Community Guidelines detailing the minimum requirements for the resumption of full netball activity as we progress through the stages.
