No matter who you are and where you’re from, this COVID-19 situation has hit our community hard. Both the mental and physical health and wellbeing of our entire netball family is our main priority right now, even though at the moment this can’t be achieved by hitting the netball court.
To our amazing Affiliates, for the support you’ve shown us throughout these difficult times thus far, we simply wanted to say thank you. Like us, you have probably been finding it difficult to keep up with all the updates; with what’s recommended and what’s not changing on a daily – or sometimes even hourly - basis, and so we thank you for your patience and continual compassion you show our Victorian netball family during this time.
We know that in good times and bad, the netball community is one that sticks together - thankfully we’ve had plenty of good times, and we’re sure there’s even more still to come!
Office Closure
Following Government advice to limit non-essential travel our staff are now working remote to the NV office or their regional office. You can still catch us by phone or email, just not in person for now.
Further, to help us navigate this global pandemic; COVID-19, the Netball Victoria virtual offices will be closed on Fridays for the foreseeable future, commencing Friday 27 March. The longevity of netball in Victoria and job retention for our staff is our priority throughout all this, so that we can continue to assist our Victorian netball community throughout this period of uncertainty.
Our staff are here to help you from Monday to Thursday throughout this period of uncertainty (and beyond!) so please don’t hesitate to reach out for help – we’re #HereIfYouNeed.
COVID-19
This won’t be the first place you hear this advice – and we highly doubt it will be the last either – but everyone needs to chip in and do their bit to help us ride out COVID-19, and the best way you can do that is by staying home. Of course there will be some reasons why you need to leave the house – to buy supplies, for medical reasons, or to go to work if you can’t do your job from home – but the rest of the time it is essential that you encourage your family and your community to practice good hygiene and social distancing.
For all of the latest Netball Victoria updates surrounding the COVID-19 situation, please click here. We will update this page as soon as any new information or updates come to hand, including when we hope everyone can get back out on the netball court! In the meantime, please stay tuned to the Netball Victoria and Melbourne Vixens digital channels for ideas as to how to pass the time and keep those netty skills sharp during this period of hiatus.
Stimulus payments for Associations\Leagues and Clubs
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to access state and/or federal assistance during this challenging time.
For those Affiliates with paid staff, we encourage you to read the attached, as to how you can receive payments through the Job Keeper scheme, which applies to full-time, part-time and casual employees (who have worked with you for a minimum of 12 months). If you or your organisation's staff are employed through Local Government or other employer, please discuss the Job Keeper fund with them.
Organisations who withhold PAYG from employees will be eligible for the Federal Stimulus package. The benefit is based on the PAYG withholding that is paid for the March, June (doubled) and September BAS periods, and will be a credit applied to your BAS lodgement. The minimum credit is $20,000 and the maximum is $100,000 but it is relies on the organisation continuing to pay employees and withhold PAYG tax.
The Victorian Government Business Support Fund will provide $10,000 for small businesses if they:
- employ staff;
- have been subject to closure or are highly impacted by Victoria’s Non-Essential Activity Directions issued by the Deputy Chief Health Officer to-date; (refer to attachment for more information on eligible affected businesses)
- have a turnover of more than $75,000; and
- have payroll of less than $650,000.
If your organisation fits this criteria, please must submit an application online here.
Refunds
We understand your concern given there is a lot of uncertainty around what the next few weeks and months will look like, however at this stage Netball Victoria is not issuing refunds on Netball Victoria memberships - including NetSetGo - due to the potential that community netball will resume after May 31. We are reassessing this timeframe as required and as the situation evolves.
Netball Victoria Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The Netball Victoria AGM will go ahead on Sunday 26 April as an online event. Further information will be provided in due course.
Association and League Annual General Meetings (AGM)
Should your Association or League be due to host your AGM during this uncertain time, the following advice may be useful:
- An AGM must be held within five months of the end of the organisation’s financial year. If your date is scheduled earlier than this five-month period, you could reschedule to a later date within this timeframe.
- You can host your AGM as an online event; platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams or Redback Connect are options. For smaller numbers, phone may also be an option.
- An extension of time to host an AGM may be applied for and won’t be unreasonably withheld. The form to do this can be accessed here:
Please reach out to your NV contact for further information on how to conduct an online AGM, or for any other queries in relation to hosting your AGM.
