Dear National Talent Pathway players and families,

The health and well-being of fans, players, umpires, officials, partners, volunteers and communities has been our number one priority.

Following further advancements of the coronavirus over the weekend, in conjunction with our State counterparts, we have made the decision to postpone all National Talent Pathway activities until 31st May 2020. This decision applies to our NAB League (Boys and Girls), Colts (WA and SA) as well as our State League senior competitions.

Given the impracticality of hosting national talent programs during this time, we will not be progressing with our upcoming male and female National Academy Camps (State and Australian programs).

This decision has been made to ensure the health and wellbeing of our people, players, fans, club volunteers and everyone connected to the game. Given the current climate of uncertainty and complexity, we felt it was best for our AFL community to take decisive action now.

We’re now working hard to ensure our sport has a positive impact in this time of need.

As you know, our Rising Stars Programs play a crucial role in the AFL competition. Our team at National level, with the support of our State Talent network have commenced the development of plans to support players through the upcoming months. It is crucial that we don’t rush this to ensure we consider all implications.

We will continue to meet with all parties and review this decision based on the changing circumstances and advice from government and relevant health departments and medical experts. We will communicate any updates and provide advice in a timely manner.

We acknowledge this remains a complicated and rapidly evolving situation but as a football industry we will band together to support each other. This is what the AFL and our State Bodies will continue to do.