Football NSW continue to work towards on-field return

Football NSW, in conjunction with the NSW government has announced that community sport in the state should be recommencing on July 1.

The date has been confirmed by both Football NSW and the government. However, despite how well Australia has been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still a risk of a second wave and we all still need to be cautious.

In an email sent on Tuesday, Football NSW CEO Stuart Hodge reassured the public that normality is edging ever closer and that restrictions for community clubs are being eased.

“Together with your Associations and Clubs, we have all worked hard planning formats and preparing match fixtures for a revised 2020 winter football season. With this in mind, on 25 May 2020, Football NSW submitted to the NSW Government a request for an exemption to the Public Health Order to allow all football to recommence playing matches in early July.

Whilst today’s announcement provides a welcome green light for the restart of junior and youth football, the return date for senior football remains unset. I want to reassure you that we are doing everything on your behalf to get clarity as to what that date will be. I know that many teams have commenced training and, like you, I am keen to get everyone back playing as soon as possible”, Hodge stated.

Hodge and Football NSW made four key statements regarding the return to football. These are as follows:

• That the return to sport would be subject to specific Guidelines – Understandably, there are still risks and although a second wave is appearing unlikely, the NSW government will not want to rush into any decisions on something that they may see as ‘non-essential’.

• Training can take place in groups of ten, observing stated social distancing and other measures – Football NSW’s ‘Return to Training’ guidelines stated this two weeks ago and as of the time of writing, it is the same. Although restrictions are being eased every week, training groups are capped at ten for the time being.

• Training is NOT restricted to children – Community clubs with high-level senior teams are now able to resume formal training. This is hopefully the first step in getting the NPLNSW back into action very soon.

• Competitions for players aged 18 and under can commence from 1 July 2020 – Perhaps the biggest news story out of this press release, competitions are on the verge of returning by the end of the month. With senior teams now training regularly, one must consider whether one month’s preparation will be enough for the players heading into the season. The isolation has essentially been a second off-season for players.

You can find Stuart Hodge’s full statement via this link:

In this time, news of this sort can only be viewed as positive. The more state competitions that begin to open up and start working towards a restart, the better.

After initial concerns regarding potential starting dates, it seems that Football NSW has opened up to the idea of restarting their season soon. Which is great to see.

There will still be concerns and that is completely understandable. At a time when we seem to be over the worst, we need to see it through to the end. In saying that, we need to be prepared for when complete normality arises and it seems as if we’re on that track.

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WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Referee Omar Artan appointed to UEFA Super Cup Final

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Image credit: BBC

The Somali referee will officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in August between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

 

World Cup controversy to Super Cup support

As 2025’s CAF Men’s Referee of the Year, Artan stands as one of the world’s leading match officials.

His expertise and skill allowed him to enter FIFA’s international list in 2018, and has since proved an outstanding ability as a referee, culminating in the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award last year.

Despite Artan’s capabilities and reputation, his dream of officiating this summer’s World Cup tournament met a premature ending. The referee couldn’t enter into the US after arriving on a diplomatic passport and single entry visa, and was subsequently forced to return home to Somalia.

But Artan’s journey as a referee on the global stage is far from over, as UEFA and CAF confirmed that Artan will officiate the UEFA Super Cup clash between Champions League winners, PSG, and Europa League winners, Aston Villa, in Salzburg this August.

 

Upholding the partnership

In April of this year, UEFA and CAF signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which promised to utilise mutual support to encourage development, inclusion and wellbeing in football.

The MoU aligns unity, cohesion and partnership between two powerhouse continents of world football.

And now, the alignment is stronger and clearer than ever. In the midst of a major blow to Artan’s personal and professional dreams, UEFA and CAF’s partnership provided an opportunity.

“Omar is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin via media release.

“Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

Furthermore, CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, outlined why the initiative perfectly embodies the nature of a partnership between UEFA and CAF.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

 

Final thoughts

Out of bitter disappointment and controversy comes a far more positive reflection of football’s influence and impact. It also proves that an MoU is more than just signatures, but a genuine promise to support the game and all within it.

A partnership like this has the power to help millions at once.

But sometimes, helping just one person is all it takes to prove its worth.

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