We have received the sad news from the VAFA that our season has been cancelled.

The last hope that we would play a shortened, but meaningful, season, has been crushed over the past week by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Victoria and a return to lockdown in parts of Melbourne that are home to some VAFA clubs and many players.

The VAFA had done everything it could to ensure we had a chance at playing. When other community leagues cancelled their seasons last month, the VAFA Board kept planning for a start, working hard in the hope that the public health situation would allow a late commencement.

However, given the current uncertainties, the Board has again made the correct decision to pull down the curtain on the year.

For the first time since 1945, there will be no VAFA football. It is an incalculable loss to our community.

Closer to home, it is very disappointing for our club.  

I thank all those at the Old Xaverians who have put in an enormous effort – the club committee and staff, our corporate partners, members and donors, our coaching team, and especially our players – to ensure that we would be in excellent shape on Opening Day, whenever that might have come.

We’ve worked hard on 2020, and now our focus moves immediately to 2021. We can assure all of our community that those of us charged with guardianship of our grand old club will not be distracted by this setback. It is severe, but it is temporary. The challenges we face will be myriad, as the hit to all in our community, particularly our businesses, has been immense.

But true to the spirit of Peter Peppard and his loyal band who rebuilt our club after WWII, when the economy was ruined, our community battle-weary, and our ranks poorer for loss of life and prime football years, we will endure.

We will continue to work diligently so that when VAFA football returns, Old Xaverians will be there, and we will be a force. We will aim, as is our tradition, to be again a club that maximises both participation and success.

Until then, stay tuned. We will be putting in place some initiatives to build further on the camaraderie within our club, already made stronger by the tribulations of 2020.

If you have any questions or queries on the above, or any suggestions for our recovery/resumption plan, I encourage you to contact me via matt.cosgrave@colliers.com

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