Everyone was no doubt relieved last week with the State Government announcement around relaxing restrictions on COVID-19 protocols to phase3 level.

From the perspective of the North Beach Football Club it took us a significant step closer towards the goal of seeing our club compete in the Perth Football League this season.

While it was yet another positive milestone the club still has more questions than answers as to what it all means.

How does contact training relate to the start of matches at community level? When will we start playing? What will the season look like? What will registration fees cost each playing member? How many grades will field teams? When will all grades have access to Charles Riley Reserve?

Then there are broader questions pertaining to what the 2sqm per person rule mean to our social hall? When can we get access? Will we have a full bar? Will there be functions.

The short answer to all of those questions is – “we don’t know.”

But we are hoping that within the next week we do have some clarity. We understand the need to provide some direction for everyone at our club and there will be a couple of key meetings this week.

There is a video hook up with the presidents and senior coaches of all clubs with the Perth Football League on Thursday night. Hopefully we get the chance to shape the structure of the 2020 season and that within a few days of that ‘meeting’ we will have at least some of the answers, if not all of them.

There is also a committee meeting later in the week, where we will begin to galvanise the club’s position on a number of important issues.

And we will look to have a discussion with the City of Stirling, who have been wonderfully supportive during this uncertainty, to get their position on facility access.

About a fortnight ago, the club also wrote to its sponsors, seeking an indication of how many of them were in a position to honour any part of their agreement to support the club in this truncated season.

We had no expectation whatsoever given all of our sponsors are local businesses and few of them have escaped this unprecedented experience unscathed.

But the response was overwhelmingly supportive and we are more than grateful for that support.

In closing, to use the words – or perhaps to mangle them even further – of the leader of the free world, it has all been negatively positive. I’ll interpret Donald Trump’s message to mean that we’re on the upswing. That more negative tests to the virus is overall positive.

And as soon as we can provide some clarity around the path towards 2020 bouncedown, that information will be communicated.

In the meantime thank you for your patience, stay healthy and Go Beach!