Following a review of the circumstances around the forced cancellation of Saturday night’s NAB Cup match in Wangaratta, and based on discussions with the St Kilda and Essendon Football Clubs, the AFL has resolved that the full match points will be awarded to St Kilda.
Essendon general manager offootball operations Paul Hamilton said the club was not at fault for the game beingcancelled but considering the unforeseen circumstances St Kilda should beawarded the points.
“St Kilda were at the ground and ready to play and therefore we think it is only appropriate the AFL allocate them the four points,” he said.
“This is not an admission of any wrong doing, we had a contingency plan in place the entire time with buses waiting on stand by should the airline indicate it was unsafe to fly.”
“Weather deteriorated significantly during the flight to below aviation standards and as a result, the planes were unable to land.”
The AFL's determination is based on the NAB Cup Pre-Season Competition regulations in relation to a match that is unable to commence.
‘28.3 Pre-Season Competition
28.3.1 Match not Commenced
If a Pre-Season Competition Match is unable to commence for reasons beyond the control of the Club, the General Manager – Football Operations shall endeavour to reschedule the Match so that a result can be obtained. If the Match cannot be rescheduled, the winner will be decided by the toss of a coin.’
The AFL noted that extreme weather conditions meant that Essendon was unable to reach Wangaratta by air for the match. However, it also resolved that alternate travel arrangements were available to the club and therefore Essendon’s inability to attend the match was ultimately within its control.
AFL General Manager Football Operations, Adrian Anderson acknowledged that the circumstances leading to the NAB Cup match cancellation and the decision to award match points to St Kilda were extremely unusual.
“Unfortunately for Essendon, a late deterioration in weather conditions meant that several attempts to land their chartered planes in or near Wangaratta were unsuccessful and as a result they were forced to return to Melbourne, with the match cancelled,” Mr Anderson said.
“The AFL has resolved that the circumstances were not beyond Essendon’s control because the club could have initially arranged an earlier flight or taken more reliable travel options that were available to them. We do acknowledge however, that Essendon did have a bus on standby in the case of the airlines indicating that it was not possible to travel.
“Essendon has informed the AFL they were assured by the airline operators that the aircraft could reach Wangaratta based on the weather forecast at the time of departure. Clearly flying conditions changed dramatically over the course of the flight and the repeated efforts by the pilots to land in the region were only thwarted by the shocking weather conditions and related safety considerations.""
Mr Anderson thanked both the St Kilda and Essendon Football Clubs for their considered responses to what was an unusual situation. He particularly paid tribute to St Kilda’s players and coaches who agreed to conduct a practice match last night in tough conditions at Wangaratta for those local fans who turned up for the match.
The AFL also sincerely apologised to the Wangaratta community and fans of the two clubs for the match cancellation.
“This was the regrettable outcome of an unusual set of circumstances, including extreme weather conditions, and we are very sorry for the disappointment and frustration caused to so many people in Wangaratta who had been looking forward to hosting an NAB Cup match in their local community. There was great anticipation around the match and many locals had worked hard to help us put on what would have been a great show,” Mr Anderson said.
“Essendon has already indicated today that it will be looking at ways to directly thank the local community for their understanding and the AFL has also informed local authorities that we will make every effort to schedule a NAB Cup game in Wangaratta next year.”
Mr Anderson said that the AFL would review the match day arrangements that apply during the pre-season competition to see what lessons can be learned to ensure a similar situation does not happen again.
All patrons who bought a ticket for last night's game will be eligible for a full refund. Patrons who purchased a ticket via credit card will have the amount automatically refunded to their personal account within five (5) days, while patrons with cash sales should return with their tickets to the point of purchase after 12pm Monday March 5, for a refund.
