Return to Training for 2020 Updates

Find below updates that are posted to our Facebook Parent Page and emailed out to parents will be shared below (most recent at top).

We have dedicated pages that you can also click through to for dedicated Return to Training here and for COVID 19 Resources here

10/7/2020

Hi everyone,

With sadness and a tear in the eye, at 10am this morning the league will be announcing the cancellation of the 2020 season.

I would like to thank everyone for forging ahead with training over the last 6 weeks and a big thank you to our committee and Covid Safety Officer for all their efforts in getting a much as we have up and running.

As a committee, we are still looking at ways we can continue developing our kids during these unprecedented times.

Stay tuned, this is not the last you’ll hear and we hope to see you all again soon.

Shayne.

7/7/2020

Hi all,
Feeling pretty flat right now with the latest announcement from Daniel Andrews.
The executive committee has quickly gotten together and decided to allow training to continue tonight and tomorrow night.
With a 6 week lockdown from 11:59pm tomorrow, we felt it was important to let the kids see their mates before lockdown. As always it is up to each family if their child attends. Coaches can decide if their teams will train tonight and tomorrow also.
As for the season, we will still need to wait for league advice, depending on what happens over the next 6 weeks, we may still get an 8 week season in.
Shayne.

 

1/7/2020

RETURN TO PLAY POSTPONED

Hi kids and parents,

As advised previously, there was a league Presidents meeting tonight.

The league has advised due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and active cases in the City of Casey, the season start date has been postponed by 2 weeks, starting on 26 July.

As you can appreciate, this is as new to us as it is to you, and we have a few things to go through and many unanswered questions, questions we have put to the league and are waiting an answer on.

We remain committed to getting as much football into our kids as we can and will update you as we know more.

TRAINING WILL CONTINUE AS PER OUR CURRENT WEEKNIGHT SCHEDULE.

27/6/2020

TRAINING UPDATE
Hi kids and parents,
With the provisional season start date approaching, we will be moving our training to our regular mid-week sessions from Tuesday 30 June (training is still on, Sunday 28 June).
A draft timetable has been sent to coaches and will be finalised once feedback received from coaches. There are some changes to training protocols which are
• no limit in group sizes, teams can train together whether that be 10 players or 24
• contact training can begin
• mid-week sessions will be reduced to 50 minutes to ensure one team is off the ground, before another enters.
Note: we are trying to free up the ovals on Friday nights to allow us to hold Friday night games, in an effort to limit the number of games on a Sunday.
While we are moving to contact training, the normal spectator guidelines and facilities access remain, so please adhere to
• maintaining physical distancing of 1.5 metres
• no groups of 10 people or more
• no parents on the ground (coaching group only)
• kids must be signed in and sanitise hands before they walk onto the ground
• there will be NO changerooms available, come ready to train
• Team Managers must complete attendance sheets
• footballs must be sprayed by coaches, no other equipment allowed
• we encourage you to download the COVID SAFE app at https://COVIDsafe.gov.au
• spectators are encouraged to remain in their vehicle (subject to Government advice regarding risk for spectators viewing from vehicles, e.g. cohabiting family/household members only).
• If you or people you have been in contact with are sick, do not attend training and advise your football coach who is responsible for informing the COVID Safety Officer.
• people who present to training with symptoms to be sent home immediately.
• it is the choice of participants to train, noting that even with adherence to protocols there is some increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 (compared to staying at home), which for some people if contracted, has serious health consequences
Regarding the Return to Play protocols, we have a league President’s meeting on Wednesday night, where there are a number of protocols we need some clarification on. All going well, hopefully we will be able to provide more details and confirmation of a season start date soon after.
In the meantime, please stay safe and we will keep you updated on any changes over the coming days as further information becomes available.

25/6/2020

AFL Victoria has today released their Return to Play protocols for 2020.
The protocols provide clarity for clubs, players and spectators in what we need to do, to provide a safe environment for our kids and families.
The committee and our Covid Safety Officer will be reviewing the protocols (it’s a 9-page document) over the next week and will communicate these to you the clearest way we can and what the means for gameday (if a season resumes).
If you want to check out the protocols, you can do so at https://aflvic.com.au/return-to-play/

19/6/2020

RETURN TO PLAY UPDATE!!
Happy to announce provisional start dates for football
These dates will remain provisional until official government and AFL Victoria return-to-play protocols, including protocols relating to crowd attendance, are finalised and approved.
Provisional Start Date: Sunday July 12 (subject to further relaxation of Government protocols)
Season duration*: At the President’s meeting this week we agreed to have a 12 week season, with home and away rounds ending on 27 September followed by a two-week finals system during the first two weeks of October (October 4 1v4 & 2v3 and the 2 winners playing off in the Grand Final on October 11)
*These details are to be after consultation with junior representation on the AFLSE Advisory Board and may change.
ALL FIXTURES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE SHARED AS SOON AS IT IS CONFIRMED BY THE LEAGUE.
Note: The return to play protocols are yet to be finalised by AFL Victoria and fully endorsed by the Victoria State Government. AFLSE will continue to work with these relevant parties to gain further clarification and will notify clubs as information comes to hand.
Full contact training cannot commence until we receive updated protocols from AFL Victoria.

18/6/2020

TRAINING UPDATE SUNDAY 21 JUNE
Great news! After consultation with the league and DHHS, we can confirm training can go-ahead for all teams on Sunday 21 June.
This includes children who attend Pakenham Springs Primary School.
Training times will be the same as last week, only we’ll be adding an extra 5 minutes to each session (1-hour sessions) due to the great work by everyone over the last 2 weeks.
Normal protocols will apply and if you have been sick, travelled overseas or been a close contact (as defined by DHHS) with a positive COVID case, please do not attend.
Look out for return to play information Friday!

15/6/2020

We are aware of news, local children at Pakenham Springs Primary School have tested positive to COVID-19.

We have not been advised of any OKJFC children testing positive.

I emailed the league at 11pm last night and sought the advice of the league and any response will be lead by the league and DHHS.

We have followed protocols and having our kids sign in is part of the contact tracing process if required.

We recommend anyone displaying cold/flu like symptoms or who may be concerned to get tested ASAP. Testing is available at the Pakenham Health Centre at Henry Way Pakenham (the old shire offices).

Also a reminder to download the Government COVID Safe app.

Lastly, please don’t panic, this is the reason why protocols and guidelines are in place, to keep our kids safe.

We’ll provide further updates during the week.

14/6/2020

Hi kids and families,
You may have heard today (Sunday 14 June), Premier Daniel Andrews announced junior sport can resume contact training and matches from Monday 22 June (or specifically 11:59pm Sunday 21 June).
What does this mean for OKJFC?
Contact training
At the moment, nothing. As advised previously we are bound by the South East Juniors League and AFL South East, so any return to contact training will be based on league advice
Return to play
On Wednesday night I have a President’s meeting and hope to be able to provide a return to play date later this week.
Keep a lookout for information later this week.
If you have any questions or concerns, as always, please get in touch via FB, email or phone.
Thanks
Shayne Honey
president@okjfc.com.au

14/6/2020

Hi parents just a reminder toilets are OPENED however, congregation at the Pavilion is NOT allowed. Please keep your social distancing at all time with a preference for parents and siblings to stay in their cars. Don’t forget to sanitise you’re hands #GoRoos⚪️

29/5/2020

TRAINING UPDATE

Hi all,
Apologies for the delay in confirming training start dates.

The committee are working hard to ensure we tick off all our requirements to start training, and also need to take into account AFLVIC training protocols, club finances and committee requirements.

With that, the committee has decided that training can recommence on Sunday 7 June for all teams.

Training on Sundays
– allows teams to train at an approximate time their games would be
– allows us the opportunity to utilise 3 grounds (2 at Heatherbrae and one at Starling Rd)
– saves money by not having the lights on each night
– will hopefully be warmer with the sun out than the dew of night air, another factor in keeping our kids safe.
– we realise 7 June is a long weekend and we expect some lower numbers, allowing us to begin training, monitor, evaluate safety and make changes accordingly before everyone is back.

Coaches have been provided a draft timing and location plan that can be communicated to you (we don’t expect any major changes).

As always, if you have any concerns, please contact myself on 0400 242 802 or our Covid Safety Officer Kim Isaacs on 0437 564 050. Your coach or Team Manager can also pass on any concerns.

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

Shayne
President
OKJFC
President@okjfc.com.au

26/5/2020

Hi all, please read the attached letter which outlines our Return to Training plan, that all members must adhere to. It’s a long letter (3 pages) but a must read.

We have a dedicated COVID19 resource and information page at our website at https://okjfc.com.au/covid-19-resource-page/

Contact myself or Kim Isaacs with any questions/concerns.

Regards, Shayne.

Letter to members re COVID19 – 26 May 2020

22/5/2020

Hi all – TRAINING UPDATE

The committee met again last night and have agreed to begin training, though we will stagger the start dates.

From 1 June our U11-17 age groups can begin training. Our U8-10 age groups can begin training one week later from 8 June. Each team will be allocated one 50 minute session per week with an additional 5 minutes either side to enter and exit the ground.

We’ve still got a fair bit of work to do but are confident by not rushing into training from 25 May, we can ensure training can be held safely.

I’ll provide some formal advice on restrictions and protocols etc over the weekend, but felt it was important to give you this advice early so you can plan accordingly.

Any questions/concerns please contact me via messenger email (president@okjfc.com.au) or phone 0400 242 802.

Thanks, Shayne.

19/5/2020

Latest info from the league re training able to resume.

As per my last post, we’ll need some time to go through the protocols and ensure we have a safe environment for our families.

We met as a committee (online) last night, I have a league meeting Wednesday night and the committee is meeting again Thursday night to discuss when we can get back to training as a club. As well as the protocols and online meetings to attend, we also need to undergo Covid Safe training, so we cannot guarantee a 25 May training resume date.

Needless to say, there will be restrictions in place when we do start and we’ll need everyone’s support.I’ll update more towards the end of the week.

Thanks, Shayne.

16/5/2020

Update on training restrictions and what’s ahead.

Letter to members re COVID19 – 16 May 2020