Central Highlands Football League (CHFL) clubs will face a fine if they are caught using water carriers or sharing drink bottles as the league cracks down on COVID-19 protocols.
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At a board of management meeting this week, the league ruled shared water bottles and water carriers would not be permitted for the remainder of the season.
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Clubs caught breaching these rules may be fined $500.
CHFL president Doug Hobson told The Courier it was a necessary step for the league to take.
"It's one of those ones, we don't really want to have to go that far, but if people can't keep in line with what the expectations are there, that's what we'll look to do at the moment," he said.
"What we're looking to do is to nip it in the bud and the easiest way to do that is actually make sure that everybody either brings along or is supplied with a personalised water bottle."
Hobson added the league believes that forwards and defenders can leave their bottles behind the goals so they can use them when required throughout a quarter.
Midfielders are encouraged to keep their bottles on the bench as they usually rotate off and on the ground more frequently than players at either end.
"That's just one way of minimising it and also keeping people in line to where they should be with their water bottles," Hobson said.
Despite being out of lockdown and back to playing games, the fact that the league missed two matches due to COVID-19 is a strong reminder that officials and clubs can't get complacent with rules and regulations when it comes to COVID.
"We spent a month without playing football, the whole thing is we need to get there and play footy, for these few minor inconveniences we've got to be able to do that," Hobson said.
"As AFL Victoria sends out any protocols, we just get there and tweak that as we go.
"It's all doable, it's just a matter of ourselves and the clubs keeping up to speed with that."
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