uncertainty, Optimism, Anxiety

If COVID -19 has taught us one thing it is to not take things for granted.

Who would have imagined how much you would miss those cold winter days and nights watching community sport?

This chapter focuses on the people who are on the sidelines every week without much fanfare. Football at this level does tend to become part of your DNA and it’s hard to shake. It frustrates you when you are at a game and you miss it when you are away from it. That feeling is certainly something we can all relate to right now.

Rachel Bach (By the White Line) is one of those people you may not recognise at first sight but her work is certainly recognisable. As a photographer she is certainly a fixture on the sidelines and is widely known for her work in the NPLW and most recently the Matilda’s.

Like many of her colleagues the lockdown has proven to be a challenging period for her. Her ability to be adaptable and remain positive has been one of the qualities that she has drawn on during this period. After a breakout twelve months where she has covered everything from Matilda’s training camps, the Women’s World Cup in France, Olympic qualifiers and of course the W-League and NPLW competitions the expectation was that 2020 would continue along this trajectory. For Rachel, the impact of COVID-19 was felt as far back as in late January when the Olympic qualifiers for the Matildas were meant to played in Wuhan and then matches were hastily moved to Australia. This would be the first of many sudden changes that would affect her schedule in the coming months. When the lockdown initially came into place Rachel recalls feeling ‘a little bit grateful to have some time to stop and think and rest at the start. I was barely home more than a month at a time for about 15 months. But then you start thinking, what am I going to do? There's no sport. That's an issue. But more to that, I don't know if or when organisations or businesses are going to be able to afford or want to pay people to take photos regardless of whether it's a sport or not. I think for being in the creative industry as a whole, it's a pretty unnerving time.’

How you deal with a crisis at the beginning can determine how well you will cope in the long term. For Rachel this has been a factor in her approach to life over the last few months. Rachel reflects that one of her greatest challenges during this period was centred around her self confidence:- 

‘I think self-confidence is a battle for a creative regardless of what's happening in the world or with that individual. I think this is a particularly testing time, it's not that I've gone out and done something wrong and that's why there's no work. It's not having any control. I think that's a huge, huge part of this.  Learning to be okay with that is hard. I don't think there's one way to approach it or to deal with it.’

The uncertainty that exists at the moment does mean that it is important to consider how life without football may look like. Like an athlete a photographer improves the more they shoot. Your ability to anticipate a shot and timing are often off ever so slightly when you have not shot for a long time. Rachel’s view on shooting in the NPLW is an accurate reflection of the importance of consistency ‘what NPLW gives me is a bit more freedom. You don't have restrictions in the same way that you do in other competitions. It’s critical in my development as a photographer, a creative and a storyteller.  I often get asked by aspiring or younger photographers how they can shoot the Matildas.The first thing I ask is what do you shoot already? I think NPLW is a fantastic place to start. There are so many games. I think there's a lot of variety there and a lot of choice. So for me, not being able to shoot that this season, potentially, if it doesn't go ahead, affects my ability to keep improving.’

In these times of uncertainty finding ways to put everything in perspective is of key importance. So much of what has happened in 2020 is out of our control. The ability to have good communication and maintain a positive attitude are some of the qualities that we are proving to be essential.  These are the qualities valued by Mark Sultana, the Club President of Caroline Springs George Cross. The stress and demands put on a club are not often considered (well until recently) when one thinks of sport. In times of crisis the discussion tends to gravitate to how it has impacted on the coach or the players. The narrative in sport over the last five months has for the first time in recent memory focused on the cost of running a club or competition especially at a community level. 

As a relatively new president of the club, the enforcement of the lockdown has been a minefield to navigate through. Imagine you are on the verge of round one for 2020 and then suddenly everything is put on hold and later cancelled. Mark tells it best:-

‘I was personally shattered. Knowing that we embarked on a journey, the whole club bought into it. Knowing that we were able to raise funds… to make sure we could field a really good senior team. To be told it’s basically all over red rover. It was no, it can’t be. We’ve worked so hard to get where we are at.

But credit to everybody at this football club. We haven’t really lost anybody a couple of players have decided that there mindset is not ready to participate but we worked with them and they are always welcome at the club. The saddest part was having to let go of staff. That was extremely sad. They all bought in, everybody bought in at George Cross for the first time in a long time I could just about guarantee you that this whole club was completely united and the fact that we were heading to the pinnacle day whether it be the women’s team or the mens senior team as well as the community teams. To be told that you were not able to play was so disheartening. You could really see it a jumper presentations knowing that we were presenting jumpers to them with really no-where to go.

When it comes to the financial cost of the closure for Caroline Springs George Cross they are no different to other community clubs and it will take time to rebuild reserves As Mark tells states:-  ‘I can’t tell you what it’s cost us, but again we are putting things in place to get this club back to where it needs to be. As one famous person said ‘let’s make this club great again’ That’s my job and again clear transparency with everybody, calling on all our volunteers to get back our lost funds and revenue over the few months and it’s important that we build our bank back up and that we build a sound and solid football club.

‘There has been a lot of work going into this Football Club from everybody, not just the president, our general manager, the senior coaches and volunteers. Don’t forget the volunteers. They put a lot into the club. That is their D-day. The first game of the season. You just need to look at this facility and how it’s prepared.’

‘It has been an emotional ride knowing inevitably that we would be shut down.’

The view from the coaches bench is pretty unique when you think about it. Kat Smith the current coach at Alamein FC spends her time coaching the senior women’s squad. She is also the Assistant Coach / Performance analyst for the Junior Matilda’s National team and Opposition Analysts for the Matilda’s Team. Added to this she also teaches at SEDA College in Hawthorn East. Kat describes the last few months in such a colourful manner ‘I feel like I could perform in the next Olympics, given how agile and flexible I have become. I’ve got a pretty good floor routine going on (said with tongue firmly in cheek). I’ve gone through a process of really evaluating myself and keeping an open mind and really emphasising a growth mindset through my role as a teacher and coaching. So when you’re faced with such a volatile and unpredictable environment, I’ve been able to go with the flow and roll with the punches.’ The impact of the lockdown has been that for people who work in community sport and specifically football the rapid shutdown of competition has left a sense of hope that if all went well life would resume as normal.

‘Losing that momentum in sport, it is hard from the coach's perspective, I think that really drives performance, momentum and consistency. And obviously, to get progression, you need that. And so that was probably my first thought. These girls have done all the hard yards to this point. And certainly, with a week to go before the season started and the lockdown happened we wanted them to be able to get the reward. Now that may have been three points that may have been a win or a loss on the board. Either way, It would have shown and indicated where they are. I'm really big on players identifying and having something tangible to show their progression because that progression drives their confidence and their motivation to keep going. That was probably a first thought, in regards to it being a stop to start again, kind of pre-season model. The way I approach the season and the development of the players is for them to reach their top performance. It's an ongoing thing based on the individual as well as collectively the whole team. Where each person is at a different point. When they return, they're at a different starting point, but it's a continuation on the process. So, trusting that process was probably another key message I was trying to emphasise in the players. We've got you to this point by following it. We will continue to find mechanisms to keep that process in play. When they came back we were really, really pleased with where they are at. As they returned, we tested them we used the metrics to see how much they maintained or lost during that first pause. I'm very fortunate to be supported by the club in terms of the long term outlook and what objectives we want for the club and the playing squad. We wanted to follow the process and ensure that we weren't subjecting these players to any increased risk of injury. Despite whatever deadline or starting date we had for a competition we weren't going to cut corners. And that would very much go against, my own ethos and values towards developing players, athletes and people as you can't cut corners so that patience was massive and emphasising, it's a pause, but be patient and trust the process.’

Kat’s response to dealing with the situation and impact on her squad after the eventual cancellation of the season is that it is a

‘pause in competition, but not a pause in their development.’

Trusting the process and patience are qualities needed for not only players, coaches, photographers and administrators but also for Club Media. So, imagine for a moment that you are part of the team of people who oversee the Media at a club, but that you are related to your co-worker and also a player in the starting XI. This is the case for Tommy who along with his brother Jake share responsibilities for all the media at Hume City. In case you haven’t worked it out they are part of the Lazarides tribe and of course that player is midfielder Matt.

Like most people in football people who work in club media generally hold down jobs or are studying. Jake is studying whilst Tommy works in finance. So, it can be a juggling act. It’s fair to say that unlike any other time over the lockdown, output has been minimal.

A friend of mine believes that those running club media should never be seen. That the work they do should be invisible. So when I contacted the Lazarides brothers I was very much approaching it with this on my mind. The difference being that for Tommy, Jake and Matt being involved in football is one part of not only their lives but their families lives. The work they do at the club is very much NOT about the individual but about the club. Under normal circumstances at this time of year they would be focused on FFA Cup, Dockerty Cup and regular club games. Judging by recent form most likely finals. Tommy details a regular week; ‘in terms of normal game days, Monday night usually consist of players interview or a coach interview. And then we'll do the Keepy ups (juggling) competition to keep the youth and seniors involved. In addition to that Jake will probably be working on the templates for the upcoming game. So, if there's a game on a Friday, Jake would have the template ready to go out by Wednesday. But obviously with no games? Well, there's nothing to put out. So it's just keeping the fans informed. We take a lot of pride in what we do in keeping the fans informed. So when we find out they find out and with Covid, we're essentially just waiting like they are.’

Having an active and engaged fan base means that keeping fans in the loop is an essential element in running successful media at any club level. Bringing fans along on the journey so they feel a connection to the team and the club. Recent posts about player movement due to the cancellation of the Victorian season were first run by senior coach Nick Hegarty. Tommy continues; You may have noticed that some players have moved to interstate clubs and competitions just to keep their fitness levels up. If they want to relocate home to be closer with their families we completely support that. We think it's doing right by our fans and also providing clarity that players will be returning.They just want to get some game time under their belt.’

After last years incredible season for Hume and being five for five at the time of lockdown, the boredom being felt right now is something that Tommy is feeling. ‘Like I said at Hume, we're a family as we say ‘humeunity’ (that’s just a crappy pun I came up with) so again when the three of us involved in the club, mum and dad, the grandparents come, Matt's girlfriend all come to a game. So like I said, we'll all go on Mondays, for example, it's Matt and I will go after work. We'll kind of catch the same train together and go to the club. Jake will meet me there. Jake and I will do our media duties, hang around for an hour and a half, watch the boys train, interact with the hierarchy upstairs and interact with fans. You know, that’s what we do at Hume.

‘That’s just on a Monday if you include game day or cup games it leaves a large gap in our lives. And I just think that after an incredible 2019 campaign, we were so excited for this season you know, the late nights, those away games in Kingston, not getting back home until midnight, but we love it. Now we need to fill our time with some other form of fun and entertainment. And yeah, luckily, like I said, we're football orientated. We're very a close family in the Lazarides household we've definitely been filling the gap, but it's never going to be the same as football.’

Like Rachel, Mark, Kat and Tommy the impact of COVID-19 has profoundly effected the everyday lives of Johnnie Markov Chiropractor (Dandenong City/Bundoora Family Chiropractic Care) and Bryan Robertson (Physiotherapist at Bentleigh Greens/Optimus Health). Both of them are working on two frontlines firstly their own private practices and secondly within a sporting club environment. During the first wave of public awareness of COVID-19 both of them had to learn quickly about the virus and adapt their businesses to be able to cope with what precautions needed to be in place should an infection outbreak happed. While they were being inundated with all of this they also needed to establish protocols in regards to how they dealt with the virus at a club level. Both gentlemen deal with a variety fo sports but in this context football is the key focus.

For league veteran Chiropractor, Johnie Markov from Dandenong City/Bundoora Family Chiropractic Care the impact of the pandemic has been two fold. He has seen business at his Bundoora clinic drop significantly due to fears about the virus and also watched on as the sports side of his life was paused for an undefined period of time. Johnnie reflected on how much being involved in the sport means to him :-

‘I like the interaction after the game, when we sit down, have a kebab roll, have a beer and just have a chat. And it doesn't matter if you are players and perhaps become a patient you become part of my family. It's my chiropractor family, we're always waiting for you, even if you want a second opinion, if it's by text message or just asking, but more importantly, just catching up, sitting down having a chat, finding out how you're going, finding out how your wife, your kids, your girlfriend is, finding out how work is just that humanistic approach, just who you are as a person, nothing to do with football, and everything to do as a human being. What makes your heart tick.’

He has great concerns for the mental well being of patients and people in the football community. ‘I think it could lead down the track to the Black Dog, Unfortunately, depression, family abuse and violence. And God forbid, you know, self mutilating or taking your own life. I've had patients unfortunately, one in particular where business went that bad in such tough times that they did take their own life. God bless. You don't want to get to that point.’

Never has having a sense of worth, community and camaraderie been so important. As Johnie continues

‘You want to have that support system. And I know I've been doing it with my players and my patients and the people that I look after just sending them a text, give them a phone call, FaceTime, how are you feeling? What do you been up to? what's been going on? Just checking up on one another. I think that's important. I think knowing the well being and the mental state that people are at, is important for us to move on. And that socialising aspect is very important with what we do.’

For Bryan Robertson the Physiotherapist at Bentleigh Greens/Optimus Health Group the first two weeks of isolation was hectic. His private practice was still open but like many businesses they were responding to all the medical advise and trying to re-set in order to be able to remain open.  

‘I think it was on the 18th that the state of emergency was declared. As soon as that happened. It's kind of like the lights went out for the business. People got scared. The virus is really contagious. Working in a health field it was really scary. Most of our clientele are sports people, but we do see a fair amount of over 60-65 year olds as well. The consequences for us of anyone catching the infection at the clinic. I feel like it had a heavy burden. For us just trying to find out information from the government, regulatory authorities and then dealing with so many different clubs. You’re dealing with such a wide ranging variety of opinions.’

As Bryan recollects this period was an overload of information. It didn’t really start to hit home until he and his business partners tried to navigate through the loss of business and what that meant for the long term viability of the business. It wasn’t until they needed to stand down 48 of the 70 casual sports medics and physios working at the clinic that it hit him hard.

Bryan reflecting on how hard it was to navigate through all the changes happening during the first lockdown

‘That was really difficult and took a heavy burden. I remember getting home and just sitting in the car And I thought, how am I going to process this?

So, I actually stayed in the car for half an hour and  I took a video journal. I just kind of spilled all my thoughts out to this video journal.  I think it will be interesting to look at that in five years time. That was heavy. It was tough losing all of the sport. It didn’t just effect us, but so many people that we provided for basically.’

Mental Health resources specific to COVID-19:-

Beyond Blue

Lifeline

Head to Health

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