SOUTH-WEST football and netball fans are not willing to give up on the 2020 season just yet.
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A poll, which asked The Standard's readers "should football-netball leagues go ahead this season?", saw nearly 700 votes cast as of 3pm on Wednesday.
Of those votes 41.41 per cent were in favour of south-west leagues going ahead with their seasons with or without crowds.
Nearly 41.27 per cent believed football and netball should not go ahead and focus should be directed at starting fresh in 2021, bringing it in a close second in the readers' opinions.
Over 15 per cent of voters believed the sports should only go ahead if crowds were allowed to attend.
Readers on The Standard's Facebook page also shared their thoughts on their voting decisions.
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Warren Keane agreed seasons should go ahead.
"If this is going to be the new normal, might as well attack it head on," he wrote. "Treat this year as a template for what has to happen next year."
Anne Smith believed this year should be scrapped.
"AFL is about advertising dollars so to go ahead without crowds makes a little sense," she wrote.
"Country football is about the people involved and the day out it creates. Without that being possible there seems little point."
AFL Western District-affiliated leagues have been in hiatus since March and are only starting to show signs of a return to normality.
Heathcote District Football Netball League, a Bendigo-based league, cancelled its season last week.
Hamilton Kangaroos mentor Gerald FitzGerald believes country football and netball need crowds but state government social distancing requirements have put spectators attending games in doubt.
South Warrnambool president Steve Harris said this week he is "not ready to put up the white flag and say it's too hard" just yet.
Four presidents - Steve Hoy (Koroit), Simon Perry (Warrnambool), Wayne Promitz (Emmanuel Hawks) and Jason Moloney (Old Collegians) - believe junior competitions should go ahead.
They stated it's imperative children and teenagers have an outlet with physical and mental benefits.
AFL Victoria affiliated clubs are now allowed to return to sanctioned training but with strict social distancing measures in place.
Netball Victoria has developed its Return to Community Netball guidelines with training in groups of 10 now allowed.
Cricket Victoria and AFL Victoria came to an agreement on Friday giving leagues until October 18 to finish their grand finals before cricket clubs get priority use of grounds.
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