Whyalla City Council can confirm that the AFL AAMI Community Series preseason game between Port Adelaide and Carlton, scheduled to be played in Whyalla in February, will unfortunately now not go ahead.
The AFL has reduced the entire preseason schedule to one game per team as it seeks to minimise potential COVID-19 exposure by reducing travel ahead of the 2021 season.
Whyalla City Council CEO, Justin Commons, said whilst the news was disappointing, he understood the AFL’s reasoning.
“In these COVID times, it’s unfortunately not unusual for plans to change unexpectedly” Mr Commons said.
“While Whyalla was looking forward to once again hosting the game, we understand that the health of players, staff and the wider community comes first.”
Mr Commons said that Council’s oval team had been working hard in the lead up to the proposed game and, as a result, Bennett Oval is looking fantastic.
“Our team will continue this focus throughout this year and ensure we’re ready to go in the hope that we’ll again have the opportunity to host an AFL preseason game next year,” he said.
Mr Commons also thanked the community and local businesses who were looking at unique opportunities and experiences to help entice more people from out-of-town to attend.
“I’d like to thank everyone who got on board and had already started working on making the event, and the weekend, a success,” Mr Commons said.
“We’re now looking to the future and thinking about how to do something similar for any other event opportunities that may arise – sporting or otherwise – to help attract additional visitors and spend in our community.”