Football Federation Australia (FFA) today confirmed that it had officially received an exemption under the NSW Public Health Order for the players and high performance staff of Melbourne City FC, Melbourne Victory and Western United FC to travel to NSW to complete the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season.
As part of the conditions of the exemption, all three (3) teams will undertake 14 days of quarantine, in an agreed facility, which will allow players to train and prepare before being able to take part in the competition.
FFA Chief Executive Officer James Johnson thanked the NSW Government for their understanding and support with this request.
“I would personally like to thank the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and NSW Heath Minister, Brad Hazzard, for granting this exemption during these extraordinary times,” Johnson said.
“We understand our responsibilities to the people of NSW now this exemption has been granted and our clubs will continue to adhere to the strict COVID-safe protocols that they have been observing since early June for the remainder of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season.”
“Greg O’Rourke and the team have worked extremely hard during the coronavirus pandemic, and we have overcome considerable challenges to get ourselves back on track to complete the season.
“I would also like to thank the three clubs from Victoria, their players and staff, as well as their families at home, who have been flexible and done everything possible, with much sacrifice, to ensure they are able to complete the season.
“Now that we have certainty that all our clubs will be ready for the restart, we will look to modify our match schedule accordingly to give all teams the opportunity to perform at their best.”
“The three Victorian teams will now prepare to depart for Sydney as soon as possible,” Johnson concluded.
