Immediate Impact [1:0]
Devastated, Shattered, Disappointed, Draining and Hollow
These are the ways some people described how they felt when the reality of the COVID-19 lockdown became evident.
It would be fair to say that the concept of a lockdown was until recently foreign for most of us. Who could have imagined living in a world with so many restrictions, rules and regulations all in the name of public health?
By March 2020 everyone knew where Wuhan was and the impact of the COVID-19 virus on Italy and other parts of Europe was being reported on a daily basis. In Australia the discussion shifted to the Ruby Princes cruise ship and as cases rapidly increased in the USA we were no longer talking about whether we will shut down but when.
The announcement of the lockdown would result in immediate disruption to our communities, our everyday life in this context sport and those who are involved in it.
Football is often called the world game and the experience of Brunswick City player Darby Dexter is an example of its far reaching effects. Imagine relocating your whole life to Buenos Aires, Argentina with the intention to explore your family history, learn Spanish and spend a bit of time re-looking at life including Football. For Darby his typical day was far removed from the discipline of sport.
‘I've been wrestling with my relationship with football, and for a long time it was more of a controlling part of my life. And held me back from a lot of experiences. It was at the back end of last year that I felt comfortable to use football to have a big life experience. So, I decided to move over to Argentina for a year. Learn Spanish play football. My grandfather was born there. So, I've got some family ties. And yeah, it was the start of a really exciting journey of taking a big risk. And that's how the year started. I was pretty lucky. I had five amazing months over there. I travelled by myself and played in a football team where I was the only one who didn't speak Spanish. So, there are lots of really amazing growth areas that I was able to work on.’
During the period where Australia had it’s fixation with panic buying toilet paper there were no signs that Covid-19 was going to have an impact in Argentina and Darby looked on with wry amusement at what was happening back home. As he recalls, it wasn’t until ‘football training got cancelled that I knew that my longevity there was in a bit of trouble. And a couple of my mates ended up going back to Europe. So within about three days, I went from definitely not leaving to boarding a plane back home.’
Darby credits his mother with the tenacity to read the situation and get back home.
‘My clever mother was checking things every day, and managed to get me home in time, and it's been a godsend that I got back when I did because things over there are pretty challenging for people at the moment and over here where incredibly lucky.’
For referee assessor, Alessandro Arbizzani the virus was very much present in his life on two fronts. His wife was completing placement in one of Melbourne’s Hospitals, while his family live in Italy.
‘It’s interesting because in the beginning it was a bit more stressful for me because my parents are in Italy. So, I wasn’t so focused on what was happening here especially as they were in the North of Italy where most of the chaos was happening. In the beginning I was usually waking up and going to bed hoping that they were safe. From their experience I was expecting to be stuck at home a long time. I think I was worried about the economy and what impact it would have on small businesses after seeing what has happened in my own country and hoping the same situation wouldn’t happen here.’
In Australia job losses were swift and in some cases immediate, while others were busier than they were prior to lockdown but the one common thing was the uncertainty that pervaded.
This uncertainty would be the catalyst for a lot of angst and fear in the community. Think about how you felt on the first day of lockdown, did you just accept the situation or did it challenge you in ways you never imagined?
I know I made myself busy, a walk every morning, a bike ride and then a number of online courses and activities. Thank goodness for the Head On Photo Festival! It kept me sane throughout May. Our coping mechanisms are different. I didn’t touch a camera until I commenced this project. Life and all its complications suddenly became simpler. The slow down in pace whilst a good thing can also become the cause of a loss of self worth and identity. What goes through a person’s head when you lose your job, what is your purpose?
The Football community comprises people from all walks of life. Many people in the community hold down other jobs or study and in some cases have ended up in Melbourne due to sport. Sport has long been an avenue through which you can travel and gain new experiences in life.
Imagine you are a self driven individual who has hauled yourself half way across the world to play the game you love in another country, you are away from family and then suddenly your purpose is totally thrown out the door. For internationals such as Margot Robbine from Bayside United and Catherine Zimmerman from Calder United the impact was immediate.
Catherine Zimmerman returned to Australia in January from her home in the USA. She recalls some discussion about the virus back home but she never imagined that ‘it would turn into this big wild thing that it is right now. It definitely was not on my radar. And then all of a suddenly it just started picking up in the news and around the world. It’s pretty scary.’
The postponement of the competition on the eve of the season has been a challenging time for most players. For people like Catherine it’s been a case of wait and see what happens next ‘I came here to play soccer. I’ve been here for the past two seasons. We got our Community Shield game in and then literally the next day everything was stopped.’
My coach Mark actually asked me this question. What drives me to keep going, especially now that we are all sitting around waiting and training and doing whatever we need to do to prepare?
I don’t know, I just love the sport so much. That love comes from the team mates I have around me. That’s what makes it so special. It’s a team sport and I personally thrive in those environments. I have people around me who I love and that I care for and want to play for and play with. Just the love for the sport is driving me right now. To keep playing and prepare for the season.’
Catherine Zimmerman
Margot Robinne has played in Australia for a number of years whilst travelling, studying and working. Margot wasn’t surprised by the lockdown. She recounts, ‘I was expecting it. I’m French. I’ve mainly been watching the French or European news. All my family and friends are there and I was more conscious of what the virus could do and what was happening overseas. So, I was aware that the same thing could happen here. The decision was understandable and as a club we accepted it and we just stopped everything.’
For Margot the impact of lockdown had further ramifications. She was no longer occupied with preparing for the season ahead or her work as a TD (Technical Director) for the juniors at Bayside. Like many people during this time her full-time employment ceased and the challenge would be to keep going from this point until she could find another job which she eventually did. To further complicate things, whilst we were in lockdown she would later discover that members of her family back home in France had contracted COVID-19 but that her family had chosen not to tell her about it as she was so far away and it would be impossible for her do anything from this distance. Margot is very philosophical about the situation.
‘I discovered later that they had the symptoms and how they were living with it. Slowly, I discovered everything, but I understand why they are kept it from me, because we are far away from each other. It’s not like you can say, okay I’m taking the car and coming over. It’s a thirty hour trip.
In France the rules are way more strict than here. If they want to go out they had to use a paper (permit) to go out for only an hour a day. They couldn’t go further than a kilometre to exercise. If they wanted to go out it would be only to the supermarket or to work. It was very strict compared to here.
I think you can’t feel what the situation is like there unless you are there experiencing it. I know my father and step mother are very stressed about it. They are very careful because they are aware that we don’t know what this virus is but it can be dangerous.’
It’s stressful to plan for the future when we don’t know what’s going to happen.
There has been a lot of adaptation during this time.
What I miss the most is the interaction with people, I like to mix with people, tease them and joke with them. Even the kids know I am strict but they know I like to have a good time. Right now it’s nice but I am getting fed up training alone I’m missing exercising with other people. We are doing team sport for a reason.
Margot Robinne
The one thing these stories confirm is that it’s fairly obvious that the long term ramifications of COVID-19 will be felt not only on a personal level but on a professional level for years years to come. The test moving forward for everyone is dealing with the uncertainty of the times we live in. For people like Margot, Darby and Catherine will all the preparation and hard work in pre-season mean they even get to round one or will this season not happen.
The impact on everyones lives continues to evolve…..