Opening-round NPL triple-header postponed

The forecast extremely hot weather on Saturday has forced the postponement of the scheduled NPL Tasmania season opening triple-header at KGV Park.

Friday night’s opening game of Round 1 between Olympia Warriors and South Hobart at Warrior Park at 8pm will go ahead.

Temperatures of 37C are forecast and this would make playing conditions almost intolerable, especially on the artificial surface of KGV Park.

"This decision has not been taken lightly as we are aware of all the work and anticipation that has gone into this weekend however we have a duty of care for all players and officials and this must be paramount,” said Football Tasmania CEO, Matt Bulkeley.

"Football Tasmania has consulted with other states’ governing bodies in arriving at this decision, especially those where this kind of weather is a more common occurrence, and the action of postponing or changing the kick-off times of games is a consistent step that is taken when extreme hot weather is predicted.

“With this in mind, we believe this is the most prudent step for us to take."

Bulkeley said that whilst it was disappointing to have to postpone a marquee day, there were still plenty of big days coming up for the fans to enjoy.

"I would encourage everyone who was planning on attending on Saturday to get to Warrior Park on Friday night for the NPL season opener between South Hobart and Olympia,” he said.

“Then, next weekend, we have the Women's Summer Cup Final, and the week after that, there is a North Hobart double-header, so there is certainly no shortage of exciting footballing action coming up."

The NPL Tasmania triple header is likely to be rescheduled for Easter Monday, with other scheduled Summer Cup games on the Saturday to be moved to either before 11am, or after 6pm, or to a later date.

The postponed NPL Tasmania games are:  Clarence v Riverside Olympic, Hobart Zebras v Devonport City, and Kingborough Lions United v Launceston City.

These games had been scheduled to kick off at noon, 2.15pm and 4.30pm, respectively.