'We volunteer because we love it': hard yards behind community sport's return

Getting the green light from NSW authorities to resume training was a huge moment for grassroots sporting clubs. But in truth, it was just another milestone in what looms as a long road back to normality.

The real work is now under way - figuring out exactly how amateur athletes can return to fields, courts and complexes in a safe and compliant manner. It's a complex task, and one that has only added to the already heavy burden on the volunteers and parents who make sport possible.

Outdoor training in groups of up to 10 has been permitted since last Friday, but many clubs and associations are still days - or in some instances, weeks - away from actually training again, as they comb through various sets of guidelines and requirements to satisfy the concerns of the state government, sporting bodies, local councils and their own anxious members.

"Nobody wants to be the first club to have cases of COVID-19. There's an immense amount of work to be done," said Paul Avery, the president of Balmain & District FC - Australia's biggest community football club, which caters for more than 2500 players of all ages across over 200 teams. "But it's simply what we have to do."

COVID-19 safety plans have to be developed and checklists painstakingly worked through. Communication must be clear and constant.

Sport Australia, in their free 'Return to Sport' toolkit for community clubs, recommends every organisation should appoint a 'COVID-19 safety coordinator' - but in practice, many are finding it is too big a job to ask of one person.

It's so much a part of my life. It's actually exciting to write protocols ... it gives us something to work towards.Baulkham Hills Shire Netball Association president Kylie Tzavaras

Balmain & District FC are somewhat fortunate, given they have several paid staff and hundreds of volunteers who can share the load. But when their players return to training from Tuesday every one of them will have to look out for themselves, too.

"We're volunteer-driven, so we rely on personal responsibility as well - we'll require people to be doing the right things," Mr Avery said.

At the Baulkham Hills Shire Netball Association, their NSW Premier League team, the GWS Fury, returned to training last Saturday - albeit in a heavily modified format.

They were only allowed to perform skill-based drills - competitive exercises are not yet allowed. And with litres of hand sanitiser, several cans of Glen 20 and rolls of paper towels skirting the edges of the court, there was no escaping the surreal nature of the session. But it was a start.

"It was awesome to see the joy on their faces - so excited to be able to actually do something," association president Kylie Tzavaras said.

But Mrs Tzavaras and her executive committee are still crunching the numbers on when the rest of their clubs can train again. They have 38 courts, but given restrictions limiting outdoor gatherings of more than 500, only 10 can be in action at once.

"Everybody just wants to be out playing netball. It's horrible saying, 'no, you can't,'" she said. "As a committee, we are doing it very slowly ... but that's why we volunteer, because we love it."

Renee Beck, president of the Maroubra Saints - another largely parent-run junior Australian rules club - admits it is a lot to ask of community sporting organisations.

"We're right at the beginning. It's really good for the kids to get back, so long as we can do it safely It's going to be ongoing and there's a lot of unknowns. These protocols are not going to go away," she said.

"But is it any more than what we would normally have to do on any given weekend in terms of ground managers, umpires, equipment, barbecue, canteen? It's probably no more manpower, but just a different focus area."

In fact, the way Mrs Tzavaras sees it, lockdown may have actually given sports volunteers a chance to recharge their batteries.

"Things slowed down very much, so there was an opportunity to reboot and reprioritise, I guess," she said.

"For me, I can't wait to get back to it ... it's a big chunk that's on hold. It's actually exciting to write protocols - that's the worst part of it, but it gives us something to work towards."