The devil is in the detail for local sporting organisations as they prepare for the resumption of junior sport.
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On Tuesday the NSW government announced that community competitions for those aged 18 years and under can restart from July 1.
The news was welcomed by sporting bodies, albeit with a modicum of caution as they await directives from their respective governing bodies and further details on the guidelines they will have to adhere to and the various other protocols.
Still, there was an obvious sense of relief and excitement after more than two months of uncertainty.
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"We've all been waiting for a date that we can start back," Northern Inland Football operations manager Toby McVey said.
"That is the most exciting thing - that football can return."
McVey said the "nice surprise" means NIF can start to plan competitions and encourage registrations again, and thousands of young soccer enthusiasts can look forward to a season.
"It's really positive news and I think clubs will be very appreciative of a start date," he said.
When he spoke with The Leader, McVey was awaiting further guidance from their governing body, Northern NSW Football, and further details.
"The number of participants in a venue would be the biggest concern. How many people we can have at a venue at a time," he said.
The government announcement was for a July 1 return but as that would be the last week of the school term, he doesn't envisage competitions kicking off then, at least not in Tamworth.
"We'll have another meeting with the Tamworth junior clubs to see their intentions," he said.
"[But] from surveys we did with the clubs, they were not keen to start until after the school holidays."
Central North Junior Rugby Union president Renee Park told the Leader last week that if they were given a window where they could play they would be doing their best to provide a competition.
She said Tuesday's announcement was "extremely positive" and is now eagerly awaiting directives from the NSW Rugby Union.
"We've had a lot of different plans and scenarios in place," she said.
"We're ready to get into action but await directions from NSW Rugby and what our return-to-play guidelines and game-day guidelines are."
Like soccer, the rugby wouldn't be looking to kick-off until after the school holidays.
North West Group 4 Junior Rugby League president Peter Lennox was a bit more circumspect about the prospect of a season in 2020. There are still "a lot more details" he would like to know.
"We're still up in the air about what we're going to do," he said.
He said they are meeting with the clubs early next week to discuss everything.
Lennox wants games being staged this year. But he said there are a lot of things to consider and it might not be viable to play matches.
One of the biggest issues is the restrictions on how many people can be at a venue.
Using the Tamworth & District Minor League as an example, he said, it wouldn't be uncommon to have up to a couple of thousand people there.
It is unlikely those numbers would be permitted under Covid restrictions. Lennox said that would mean that other provisions would have to be put in place, such as staging games at staggered intervals, which would require extra volunteers.
