Extreme weather has the potential to ruin weekend sports, says the Climate Council of Australia.
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Released on Wednesday, the Weather Gone Wild report indicates that the frequency of heat events, droughts, bushfires, and unpredictable storms will have a distinct impact on summer competitions.
But not just the national, televised, money-making sports either. If the past few weeks hold any indication of future seasons, heatwaves stand to impact all the sports world at every level.
Last week on February 4, Football Wagga called off its summer competition junior playoff, due to “dangerous heat”.
“It’s the state policy that if it gets over 32-degrees, we have to cancel,” said Tim Barter, Football Wagga’s director of media, marketing and sponsorship.
“It’s not normally a problem we have, our comps are usually in winter but this is a brand new comp and it’s in February.
“It’s a very strenuous game, non-stop running up the field, often in direct sunlight. It’s just too dangerous in high heat.”
The statewide policy disallows gameplay for juniors if temperatures are forecasted higher than 32-degrees. For seniors, the cut off is 37-degrees.
Unrelenting weeks with temperatures well into the mid-40s hit Wagga over the past month, forcing junior and senior teams across the city to readdress their heat policies.
Hit for six by stifling weather
Similarly, when Albury began making national headlines as one of the hottest places in the state, it caused problems for scheduled tournaments.
“The under 13s competition was very lucky, the competition was in Orange and it wasn’t very hot for them,” said juniors coach Pat Edmonds.
“The under 12s did have to postpone one of their days the following week, I think they then began the next day early.”
Hundreds of players and their families descended on the city for the week-long sporting event. If heat forced the cancellation of more than one day, problems of tourism and travel would ensue.
“Before any teams travel in, there’s usually a bit of communication over the weather,” said Mr Edmonds.
“You want to avoid people travelling a long way for it to just to be called off.”
But little refuge awaits those who venture indoors for seasonal play.
Onto ‘The Incinerator’
Embracing their summer sweltering tendencies, Wagga Basketball team The Heat have evolved an affectionate nickname for their … street stadium.
Dubbed ‘The Incinerator’, temperatures on the court have been known to reach up to 45-degrees. Industrial fans do little to dissipate the discomfort, says team president Steve Gentle.
“We’ve been trying to get the air conditioning working on the court for years,” said Mr Gentle.
“I’m told they did once work, but I’ve never been there for it. You walk into the gym and it’s 20-degrees, then onto the court and it just hits you, the heat.”
Late last year, finals narrowly avoided delay as players continued to struggle against The Incinerator.
“Sometimes, I reckon it’d be cooler outside, but we don’t even have an outdoor court any more,” said Mr Gentle.
Sports steps inside
A better fate awaits those who take to the courts at the Nagle Street Indoor Sports Complex. During recent weeks, staff were inundated with ‘heat refugees’ retreating into the constant comforts of the air-conditioned grounds.
“We did have quite a number of bookings during the worst of it,” said centre manager Gordon Taylor.
“There was even a softball team that came in to train on the cricket field. It’s certainly not much fun out in that sun.”
While some sports avoided the heat this year, the Climate Council suggests it will be hard to remain so lucky next season.
“In the past, we have had to cancel for heat exhaustion,” said Hamish Wheatley from Wagga’s Little Athletics club.
“Late last year, we did cancel when it got up over 38, in the lead up to Christmas. But in late December into early January when it was just ridiculously hot, we were lucky.
“Because we are based around the school term, we just missed that extreme heat.”
Crossed fingers for carnivals
Coming up this weekend, the Little Athletics clubs will be hosting their annual regional carnival in Griffith. With temperatures expected to only reach the late 20s, there is no suggestion the day will be cancelled.
Back a couple of years ago, when the NSW carnival was held in Wagga, it was a different story.
“We had to start the carnival earlier before the top temperatures had been reached, and a NSW representative had to come and monitor the humidity and temperature all day,” Mr Wheatley said.
“They ended up calling it to a halt on the Saturday at about 2:30, it was just too hot. It was about 38 or more.”
It has been a similar situation for Wagga’s touch football association.
Hosting the inaugural junior state cup southern conference in Wagga at the end of February, players are hopeful for more favourable weather.
“We’re certainly hoping that kind of weather won’t return, definitely don’t want it to be hitting 45-degrees again when they’re out there,” said Juanita Bailey, Wagga Touch Football secretary.
“Luckily, our season finished up before the hottest days hit so we didn’t have to enforce our heat policies, but when it does get too warm, we shorten play, so every 10 minutes we take a drink break.”
In time, the Weather Gone Wild report admits, the required break time to accommodate skyrocketing temperatures will outweigh the necessity of play time.
The disruption from play with more time on the sidelines than on the field, the report concludes, will render summer sports almost non-existent.
Then, as the old adage goes, the outrage will ensue. Because nothing promotes fury quite like the sudden absence of the thing most beloved.