A-League update expected in wake of AFL call as Perth match postponed

Perth Glory’s A-League match against Western United at HBF Stadium on Monday night has been postponed.

The round 24 fixture was scheduled to be played this evening but the Glory issued a short statement on Sunday night announcing the postponement.

No specific reason was given and no confirmation was made by either Western United or the A-League itself through its social channels.

Western United had delayed their travel to Perth for the game however, with the team originally due to fly on Sunday before postponing their flight until Monday to wait on any further developments.

So far, no revised date for the match has been announced but the A-League is expected to post an update later on Monday.

The decision comes in the wake of the suspension of the AFL season and following the government’s announcement that from midday pubs, clubs, cinemas, places of worship and other mass gathering sites will be closed.

Before the announcement, several states including Victoria, NSW, South Australia and Western Australia declared they were implementing partial shutdown measures early next week to tackle the pandemic.

Despite Perth’s announcement of tonight’s postponement, the A-League is yet to change their plans to continue playing.

Newcastle’s home match against Melbourne City is still expected to go ahead at McDonald Jones Stadium on Monday.

FFA chief executive James Johnson said the league’s future would, like the NRL, be led by government advice in a statement released on Sunday confirming there would be a further update provided on Monday to allow time to digest the outcome of the National Cabinet meeting.

“The health and wellbeing of the players continues to remain our top priority and we will not be afraid to make decisions to ensure this, no matter how hard they might be,” he said.

“We were very comfortable to take the initial decision to allow the Leagues to continue with additional measures in place and have worked through a number of scenarios to facilitate the completion of the A-League season.

“However, we remain under no illusions as to how fluid this situation is so we will remain agile and responsive to the challenges this pandemic brings. We are continuously assessing our position based on the latest directives and advice from the Government and Chief Medical Officer, and in consultation with our National COVID-19 Working Committee.

“We are taking every precaution in line with Government advice and working closely with the League and clubs which have implemented additional measures to ensure players remain healthy and in good physical and mental condition.

“Our priority is to ensure that this remains the case to give the clubs and players the best chance of achieving their sporting aspirations.”