CURRENT STATUS OF GROUNDS
Check status at Council websites below
CHECK THE STATUS OF THE GROUNDS WITHIN EACH COUNCIL
Wet Weather - When, Why and How fields are closed
The majority of the fields used in NWSF competitions are run by Councils, with a small number located at a university or schools. Councils determine if fields are to be closed in the event of wet weather and they post information on their websites (links above) - in the case of weekends, this is generally determined by 2pm on Fridays.
NWSF then determines if the round is to be played based on the number of fields closed. Note that every Saturday afternoon timeslot is used every weekend, and there is generally only a handful of vacant timeslots on Sundays. Therefore, where fields are closed, there is very limited opportunity to move any affected matches to other fields on that weekend. In a normal season, all washed out matches from U12s upwards, except for 10 team competitions, are rescheduled to a later date, and we have two weekends set aside for these at the end of the season, or where there are a limited number of washed out matches, these may be rescheduled on Sundays as double headers or mid-week if there are grounds available.
However, in 2020 with the modified season due to Covid restrictions, there are no spare dates for replaying washed out matches. The FMC will determine how to deal with washouts on a case by case basis.
Where there is rain after 2pm on Fridays or over the weekend, the decision to close a field rests with the club. The club will consider whether it is safe to use, or whether there is a likelihood of damage to the field. The referee also has the final say as to whether a field is fit to play on. Therefore, in some cases fields will be closed even if the Council website says they are open.
Ryde Council is the only Council that inspects fields on Saturdays to determine if they are playable for Sundays. Their decision is made around 3pm on Saturdays and they update their website above. All other Councils leave this decision to the clubs.
Remember that the aim of NWSF and the clubs is to get the players on the park, but in some circumstances, its just not possible.
The majority of the fields used in NWSF competitions are run by Councils, with a small number located at a university or schools. Councils determine if fields are to be closed in the event of wet weather and they post information on their websites (links above) - in the case of weekends, this is generally determined by 2pm on Fridays.
NWSF then determines if the round is to be played based on the number of fields closed. Note that every Saturday afternoon timeslot is used every weekend, and there is generally only a handful of vacant timeslots on Sundays. Therefore, where fields are closed, there is very limited opportunity to move any affected matches to other fields on that weekend. In a normal season, all washed out matches from U12s upwards, except for 10 team competitions, are rescheduled to a later date, and we have two weekends set aside for these at the end of the season, or where there are a limited number of washed out matches, these may be rescheduled on Sundays as double headers or mid-week if there are grounds available.
However, in 2020 with the modified season due to Covid restrictions, there are no spare dates for replaying washed out matches. The FMC will determine how to deal with washouts on a case by case basis.
Where there is rain after 2pm on Fridays or over the weekend, the decision to close a field rests with the club. The club will consider whether it is safe to use, or whether there is a likelihood of damage to the field. The referee also has the final say as to whether a field is fit to play on. Therefore, in some cases fields will be closed even if the Council website says they are open.
Ryde Council is the only Council that inspects fields on Saturdays to determine if they are playable for Sundays. Their decision is made around 3pm on Saturdays and they update their website above. All other Councils leave this decision to the clubs.
Remember that the aim of NWSF and the clubs is to get the players on the park, but in some circumstances, its just not possible.