Professional sports teams can resume training in Victoria as of midnight on May 12, following an easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the state.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had been cautious in his approach to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, but on Monday morning outlined a set of changes which could pave the way for sports to return in the near future. One of those was allowing up to 10 people to gather together outside.
"There has been a lot of work between the AFL and the public health team," Andrews said. "We have agreed to a set of arrangements which will allow training for AFL, for Rugby League and for other professional sports to resume from just before midnight tomorrow night.
"With that happening, that paves the way for the AFL and other codes to make announcements. It paves the way for footy to be back and I think we all want that, provided it is safe and appropriate."
While the changes to restrictions have given sporting leagues the green light to resume training in Victoria, Andrews said under no circumstances are members of the public to share any of the training facilities.
Clubs must control the space they are in to mitigate the potential spread of the disease.
"The clubs have to put in place their own plans but they must be self contained," he explained. "So if they're using a training facility, it must be exclusively for them. We can't have a situation where there's a carve out for professional sport and then have other people who are not connected to that sport intermingling."
Despite the relaxing of restrictions -- which now allow members of the Victorian community to meet with family and friends, provided there are no more than five people at any gathering -- Andrews insisted the fight against COVID-19 was nowhere near over.
"There is a real need to be cautious," he said. "This is far from over. This is highly infectious. It's rapid. It's dynamic. You only get one chance to take the first step and do it properly."
Overnight there were seven new cases of COVID-19 in Victoria. New South Wales recorded one new case, while Queensland had zero.