AFL South East (AFLSE) Head of Region Richard Black, AFLSE Chief Operating Officer Shaun Connell and Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League (MPNFL) Operations Manager Haydn Parsons tonight met with MPNFL Clubs to discuss the composition of the 2020 season.

With a caveat that State Government Covid-19 restrictions will be relaxed to allow a minimum of 500 people to attend home-and-away matches – the MPNFL clubs agreed on the following proposal presented by the MPNFL Covid-19 Working Party.

The clubs agreed that the 2020 MPNFL season – for both football and netball across Divisions One and Two – will begin on Saturday, July 25, with grand finals to be played on the weekend of Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October. It was also agreed that clubs would compete under a zero cap this season.

Throughout the discussions, the main objective was to design a season structure, within the available constraints, that provides the simplest and most equitable outcome for all clubs.

The proposal agreed to by clubs includes the following detail:

Division One

• Season to begin on Saturday, July 25 and to conclude on the weekend of Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October.
• The season will consist of nine rounds – with clubs playing each other once – to maintain the integrity of the competition.
• The traditional Top-5 finals series will remain in place, conducted over a four-week period commencing on the weekend of Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September.
• Clubs will compete under a zero salary cap for the 2020 season.

Division Two:

• Season to begin on Saturday, July 25 and to conclude on the weekend of Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October.
• The season will consist of 11 rounds – with clubs playing each other once – to maintain the integrity of the competition.
• Following the withdrawal of Chelsea FNC, a weekly bye will be introduced to accommodate the 11-team structure.
• A Top-4 finals series will take place, conducted over a two-week period commencing on the weekend of Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October.
• Week One of the finals will see two semi-finals conducted – 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 – with the two winners to compete in the grand final the following weekend.
• Clubs will compete under a zero salary cap for the 2020 season.

 Netball will remain an integral element of the MPNFL competition and operational staff will continue to work with clubs to ensure that this remains the case in 2020. Maintaining a strong community football/netball environment is a key factor in the strength of the MPNFL community.

In the ever-changing and challenging environment caused by Covid-19, the collaboration between AFLSE and MPNFL Clubs has remained strong – resulting in a combined position being reached by both parties.

MPNFL clubs will be surveyed over the coming days to confirm their engagement in all levels of competition.

AFLSE would like to thank the MPNFL clubs for their collaboration and look forward to taking further positive steps towards a start to the 2020 season

-ENDS-