No worries for AFL over swine flu - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

No worries for AFL over swine flu

By Adam Cooper and Crystal Ja 29/05/2009 07:54:21 PM Comments (0)

The AFL is confident it has no cause for concern over swine flu among either its players who travel across the country each week or the thousands of fans who attend games.

St Kilda took the precaution on Friday of supplying face masks for their flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, where they will play Melbourne on Saturday night.

Saints coach Ross Lyon said the club's medical officers told players and staff to wear the masks as a precaution.

"We were told to take a precaution ... half had it on, half didn't and it was left to the individual," Lyon said.

"I didn't wear one."

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson confirmed his club's doctors would be carrying masks when the Hawks flew to Adelaide on Saturday, just in case.

None of the other seven sides flying this weekend had or planned to wear masks while in flight.

Despite the increase in awareness and the scare Fremantle had, when they realised they travelled from Melbourne to Perth last weekend on the same flight as a man later confirmed as Western Australia's first swine flu case, the AFL was confident it had no reason for concern.

"At the moment, and touch wood, there's no issue for AFL football," chief executive Andrew Demetriou said on Friday.

"We'll continue to be vigilant in putting preventative measures in place like the masks on aeroplane flights.

"But it's all systems go for the AFL.

"If a player has got a virus of any sort the normal procedure would be that the club puts that player in quarantine any way, they keep them away from the rest of the players, so at least we've got those measures in place."

Demetriou also said there was no need for the league to consider re-scheduling games and urged fans to attend as they would every weekend.

"We're not at the point in time of closing down public places, otherwise you may as well close the CBD of Melbourne, seriously," he said.

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