Tara Murray
A number of sporting competitions are set to head straight into finals once metropolitan Melbourne is out of lockdown.
With lockdown extending for at least another two weeks, the plans of many sporting organisations were thrown out the window.
The Essendon District Football League announced last week that its junior, men’s and women’s competitions would head straight into finals.
The league is hoping junior teams will return to the field on September 5, for a two-week knockout finals series consisting of the top four teams in each division. The grand finals will be played on September 12.
The senior men’s and women’s competitions along with under-18.5s will return on September 11 subject to the lifting of restrictions to allow for competitive football activity.
If restrictions end when currently scheduled, it will give teams a week of training before matches resume.
Senior finals will be a top four, two-week knock-out series with all grand finals to be played on the weekend of September 18.
Keilor senior men’s and women’s and Hillside women’s team are among those who will be in finals action.
Fixtures will be released once venues are confirmed.
The league also announced that promotion and relegation will still apply as per usual in our senior men’s competitions. Meanwhile, Basketball Victoria also announced that the Big V competition would move straight into finals for all divisions.
It said the final two rounds of the competition would be cancelled and all divisions and conferences would proceed into the top four finals series on the weekend of September 11 and 12.
Keilor’s men’s team will play in the finals after finishing on top in the championship division.
Each finals series will have semi finals on the Saturday with the winners competing in the grand final the following day.
There will be a backup weekend in an attempt to conclude the season. If restrictions are still in place on September 14 the season will be cancelled and no teams declared winners.
