Fears over coronavirus has forced Football Tasmania to put in place new measures to safeguard the game down at the grassroots from suffering.
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The impact on the sport through the junior level with the highest participation rate in the state may only be told in the years to come.
But Football Tasmania's boss Matt Bulkeley admitted to concern over possible fall out from a generation lost should competitions be put on hold further or cancelled.
"We are well aware that the break in football is not ideal - even from a player's point of view because they want to be out there playing," he said.
"Our kids would ordinarily now be starting training and playing soon, so we want to harness that enthusiasm.
"But the longer it all goes on it does become harder, especially when their normal routine is disrupted as it is now with schools and so on.
"There are certain things we are doing at the moment to help the sport along."
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
In order to ensure that the grassroots soccer community remain active and connected throughout the suspension of not only competition but team training, Football Tasmania has recently joined a nationwide home challenge of an online skills hub.
Restrictions on movement that has led to self-isolation and engagement with social distancing has also propelled an E-Sports FIFA 20 championship to test out the best soccer gamers in the state.
Bulkeley is under no illusions that the game cannot rest on its laurels in Tasmania among aspirational juniors.
"We are certainly working on the basis that we will have a season," he said.
"We are realistic enough to know that the season may be different. We're encouraging our football community to be as patient as they can and the other end of this there may need to be some flexibility around what 2020 looks like.
"But equally there might be some more opportunities like more futsal played in the spring and the summer, and for summer football to grow."
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