COVID-19
At 12pm on Monday, Competition Directors received a phone call from Newlands College confirming that the Newlands College Gymnasium would be out of action until further notice. This has given us no possible chance to play out the remaining five games of The Summer Series this weekend. Our belief was that we would be able to get through this weekend, but the safety and wellbeing of the players, the spectators, the coaches and the staff have to come before sport.
After discussions between Summer Series Directors, we have decided to suspend the season, meaning we will aim to play at least two games (Boys and Girls Finals) at some stage in the near future. There are numerous factors such as how the COVID-19 Pandemic continues, whether the health and safety of players are at risk, and whether we can find a suitable venue that will fit The Summer Series needs. We will also be following all College Sport Wellington Competition Guidelines as to how we reschedule, if we are able to do so.
WILL THE FINALS STILL BE PLAYED?
The answer is possibly. It all comes down to how the COVID-19 pandemic shapes in the coming weeks. Our aim is to play all five games, but realistically we might only be able to play a handful.
WHAT ABOUT THE CHALLENGERS GAME?
We won’t play this game unless we are 100% able to without concern. The game is a mixed game and is a lot of fun! But players may not be available, or players may not want to participate.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MVP?
The MVP Vote will be put on hold until we can figure out what we would like to do to make it a fair vote. We want to make sure there is an MVP selected for each division, but we also want to make sure that users aren’t missing out on interacting with the competition. The likely procedure will be that all LiveStats games that are behind will be completed. Following this, the vote will reopen when users are fully aware of who and what they’re voting for.
WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO USE THE WEBSITE AND WATCH REPLAYS?
100%. All replays are available online and free for your viewing pleasure. The website will be ready to go and will be the best place for information. Also following our social media channels will help you keep updated.
I want to personally thank those who have helped build what The Summer Series is today. We started off with three games a day, and now we’re at six with 12 teams. Over 150+ kids played this year and we hope to offer more fantastic basketball experiences in the future. We want to keep offering the best basketball competition in New Zealand for High School students at the start of the year, and we hope you’ll continue with us throughout the rest of 2020. We’re not done just yet.