EAGLEHAWK and La Trobe University have been crowned men's and women's champions for 2021 after the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League called off the remainder of its season on Wednesday night.
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However, while the championship season for all senior and junior grades is now over for 2021 amid the ongoing uncertainty around when what has already been a severely disrupted season could resume due to COVID lockdown restrictions, BASL hopes it may still be able to provide some form of additional competition for teams later this year.
In the men's division one competition perennial power Eaglehawk earned the championship with 30 points, finishing with 10 wins and one loss from its 11 games.
It's the Hawks' fourth championship since 2016.
In the women's division, La Trobe University has won the championship in just its second season in the competition as a start-up club.
The Eagles topped the women's ladder with 34 points, ending the season with 11 wins and one draw from their 12 games.
Wednesday night's decision to call off the season followed confirmation earlier in the day that community sport would again be on hold this weekend as lockdown continued and there still no definitive return date.
In the men's division one teams have played either nine, 10 or 11 games, while in the women's the league has been able to play only 13 of its scheduled 20 rounds.
"It's obviously a disappointing way for the championship season to finish this way," BASL president Aaron Shooter said.
"It's obvious our Shepparton-based clubs are going to be highly unlikely to be in a position to play in the near future, therefore the options we looked at wouldn't allow us to complete our senior championship in full.
"With the number of games we would have still had to make up, particularly in the seniors, we would have been chasing our tail and there's the added factor of venue availability. While we'd like to be playing all the time, it's not a practical reality.
"Plus we've got players who also participate in summer sport and are looking to get ready for that should it be viable.
"Each week we can't get back it adds to the load of more games we'd need to catch up on and the reality is there was already around five or so rounds we'd need to catch up on and we need to be done by the end of September.
"And at this stage we don't even know whether sport will be viable come the end of September."
While disappointed to have had to call an early end to the season, Shooter said the fact that competition could return this year after the 2020 season was abandoned due to the COVID pandemic was a positive for the league and its clubs.
"At least we were able to get some games in this year and get a season up and running again for our clubs and players," Shooter said.
"It was stop-start, but the fact we got ourselves far enough into the season where we could award a championship is testament to the work put in by the league and clubs."
At least we were able to get some games in this year and get a season up and running again for our clubs and players
- Aaron Shooter - BASL president
BASL has also confirmed in won't be holding a formal presentation night, but will still acknowledge award winners for the 2021 season.
"Having achieved so much under difficult circumstances the idea of celebrating the achievements across the league is deeply valuable to the football community," Shooter said.
"However, the reality of gathering in significant numbers anytime in the near future remains not viable.
"As such we will do our best to find a way to suitably acknowledge these achievements in a different format."
While the championship season is now over, Shooter said the league would now explore what off-season options could be available to provide opportunities for players to return to the pitch over summer.
"We'll look at what sort of informal summer competition options there could be. We know not everyone plays other sport during summer, so we'll look at what opportunities there could be to bring players back and integrated into football again if we can," Shooter said.
La Trobe University women's coach and president Sam Wheatley said while disappointing the season couldn't play out in full, he was proud of his team's achievement in winning the women's championship for the first time.
"I'm sure everyone across the board is disappointed we couldn't finish the season," Wheatley said.
"I'm really proud of the girls. It's a really good culture among the group on and off the field and they definitely deserve the win."
BASL 2021 champions:
Division 1 - Eaglehawk
Womens - La Trobe University
Division 2 - Strathdale
Youth - Tatura
U16 mixed - Spring Gully Red
U15 girls - Spring Gully Red Force
U14 mixed - Sprig Gully Red Devils
U13 girls - Spring Gully Red Renegades
U13 mixed - Spring Gully Red Rangers
U12A mixed - Spring Gully Red Jets
U12B mixed - Strathdale City
U12C mixed - Epsom Scorpions
HOW ALL THE TEAMS PERFORMED THIS SEASON:
MEN'S
WOMEN'S
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