Farrer League president David Oehm believes the competition will cope with a 500-person limit at regular season games if it has to, if there is no change to the latest NSW Public Health Order.
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It's almost a month since the state government said community sport could resume in July with all indications that social distancing would be the requirement, not specific limits.
The inclusion in the July 1 update of a maximum of 500 people caught clubs and competitions by surprise. Oehm says the Farrer League can manage in the meantime.
"Five hundred would be fine because you wouldn't get more than that at a normal home-and-away game and hopefully restrictions will be lifted by the time finals come. That's what we're hoping," Oehm said.
If most players in the lower grades leave the ground after their games, he says the limit is unlikely to be pushed at most games.
Clubs had previously raised concerns about the idea that they'd be responsible for keeping track of all comings and goings, and potentially turning away spectators.
Oehm conceded capped crowds for the finals series would be a disappointment and difficult to manage.
The AFL and other sports, especially netball, are lobbying at higher levels for the removal of the maximum crowd stipulation.
A short season and an influx of players after the cancellation of other competitions has sparked hopes of big crowds in the Farrer and Riverina Leagues, and the chance for clubs to earn some money through gates, bars and canteens.
In Group Nine, too, the draw specifically included two rounds of local derbies to be played, including rivals Tumut and Gundagai, and Wagga Brothers and Kangaroos, at the start and end of the short home-and-away season.
Meantime, the Farrer League draw has been finalised with round one on July 18 seeing Charles Sturt University at home to The Rock-Yerong Creek, Coleambally welcoming Marrar, Temora hosting East Wagga-Kooringal and North Wagga at home to the Jets.
All clubs play everyone else once and then one team a second time to round out four home games each in an eight-game comp.
That final round on September 5 sees TRYC drawn to host Coleambally, Marrar welcoming North Wagga, the Jets at home to the Bushpigs and Temora v EWK.
The top four meet in the semi-finals on September 12 and 13, the preliminary final a week later, with the grand final at Robertson Oval on September 26.
There are certainly no guarantees about anything in 2020 but Oehm said, after a tumultuous few months, it's exciting to think about a competition starting in two weeks.
"It's great to get football started again. Some clubs have shown a bit of angst about the influx of the southern players but I reckon it's great for the competition actually," Oehm said.
The biggest late movers have been TRYC and the Northern Jets - two clubs that struggled for depth last year and might have again this season. The Jets have benefited from former locals keen to return home while the Magpies have seen their fortunes thanks to players desperate for a game having a connection to footballers at The Rock.