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A-League, W-League to go ahead with crowds

3 minute read

This week's A-League and W-League matches will proceed as scheduled, with fans allowed into stadiums despite concerns over the coronavirus.

This weekend's A-League and W-League games will go ahead with crowds despite concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

Brisbane will host Central Coast on Friday night, kicking off five A-League matches this weekend, while there will also be two W-League semi-finals.

The FFA opted to proceed with matches on state and federal government direction, along with advice from their chief medical officer and club doctors.

It does however seem almost certain next week's matches will be played behind closed doors, with the federal government announcing non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people will be banned from Monday.

"We will be proactive, we will be practical and we will be agile," FFA chief executive James Johnson said.

"We will not be reactive."

A multi-stakeholder working group has been established by the FFA to consider a whole-of-game approach to the virus outbreak - including FFA Cup, National Premier Leagues and grassroots football.

Johnson said the group would be meeting on Sunday to discuss the official status of matches from Monday onward, with latest government advice to guide their decisions.

Several protocols will be enacted for this weekend's matches affecting fan interaction with players, no pre-game handshakes between teams and restricting media access to pre- and post-match opportunities with players and coaches.

If the W-League finals are postponed, a number of teams would be likely to lose key personnel to European, Asian or American clubs before a potential rescheduled series could be played.

"I know (defender Yukari) Kinga, she's leaving next Sunday - so if the grand final is not on Saturday (she won't be there)," Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic said on Friday.

"And the rest of the girls, their flights are booked. They are expected to rock up at their training sessions, they are probably expected to start their preparation for wherever they're going to end up.

"So ... yes - everything is planned for them to leave after the grand final."

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