FOOTBALL Mid North Coast plans to revive the Zone Premier League (ZPL) in 2021.
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General manager Bruce Potter confirmed this after the ZPL was scrapped for the year due to a lack of teams.
"We're in a holding pattern with the Zone Premier League,'' Mr Potter said.
Wallis Lake, Wingham and Tuncurry-Forster will now play out the season in the Men's Southern League with Camden Haven slotting into the Northern League.
Initially seven sides nominated for the ZPL, a one-grade competition that was seen as a pathway to the newly formed Coastal Premier League.
However, Taree pulled out when the club gained an 11th hour entry into the Coastal Premier League.
The decision was made to cancel the ZPL when Wauchope dropped out.
While disappointed, Mr Potter pointed out that winter sports around the country were struggling with similar problems due to the pandemic.
It's been reported that Wauchope, Lake Cathie and Port Saints have already expressed interest in playing in the ZPL in 2021.
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Ten clubs will now play in the Southern League.
Mr Potter confirmed the premiership would be decided on a first-past-the-post system and no finals were scheduled.
He said under current COVID-19 guidelines Football Mid North Coast was restricted to crowds of 500 and less.
While this is fine for competition games, it could cause problems in semi-finals and certainly a grand final.
"We don't have access to a fully fenced off ground and that would make policing crowd numbers difficult,'' he said.
"And with what's going on in Victoria the crowd restrictions could be tightened.''
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He said the draw could be rejigged for the final round.
"We might arrange it so first plays second, third plays fourth and so on to create a bit more focus,'' Mr Potter explained.
However, he stressed that in a shortened season it was important to ensure all players got as many games as possible.
"We're trying to give our players value for money,'' he said.
"That goes for the juniors as well.''
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