IF people want to play once restrictions are lifted, we will do all we can to make it happen - that is the message that the Bathurst Women's Hockey Association has issued to its members.
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On Monday night BWHA board members and delegates met to discus the status of the competition, which has been on hold since the weekend of August 14-15 due to the COVID-19 lockdown of regional New South Wales.
In anticipation of the lockdown period which was set to expire on August 28 being extended - confirmation of that coming on Thursday morning when it was announced stay-at-home orders would remain in place until midnight, September 10 - it was decided member feedback would be sought before any resumption of play plan was formed.
"Working out a plan on how, or if, to extend the season will bring with it some challenges, but we want people to be able to play, we want to give them the opportunity to do so if health regulations permit a resumption," BWHA president Melissa Bestwick said.
"Sport is good for mental health and we feel getting back on the field in some capacity will benefit our players.
"As it is a competition for the players, we feel it is important to give the players a voice on what a resumption of play would look like. So our club delegates have been asked to gather feedback from our members to help us in formulating some sort of road map for the remainder of the season."
As it currently stands, BWHA competitions have not reached the conclusion of regular rounds in any grades and a number of minor premierships are still in contention.
This would likely mean that the regular rounds need to be completed before any finals are played, but again feedback is being sought from members as to how this could be best achieved in the case of a resumption.
Given the complex is used exclusively for hockey, there is flexibility in terms of when fixtures could be played.
"We most certainly could look at mid-week fixtures or different timeslots if that would suit players and help get a conclusion to the season," Bestwick said.
"We are aware there could issues surrounding other commitments which could arise for members if the season is extended, so it's great that we have that flexibility when it comes to using the complex."
While the BWHA board and delegates would naturally like to see teams given the opportunity to play a finals series if possible, the board said the over-riding consideration that will be taken into account when considering a resumption date is player safety.
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