Coronavirus: Inter-state travel stance shouldn't impact Aussie sporting leagues - yet

A Federal Government recommendation against "non-essential" travel to prevent the spread of coronavirus won't affect Australia's professional football codes at this stage.

ON sunday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced people should avoid interstate or long-distance travel, unless for work, essential services or compassionate grounds.

The recommendations could have wide-ranging impacts on the AFL, NRL and A-League campaigns, which are pushing ahead with fixtures behind closed doors, despite the pandemic.

The NZ Warriors are currently based in New South Wales and playing NRL 'home' games at the Gold Coast's CBus Stadium, while the Wellington Phoenix are serving their 14-day isolation in Sydney, before resuming their A-League campaign.

When asked whether the recommendations against travel would impact on the AFL and NRL seasons, Morrison said that was yet to be determined.

"I am sure we can work with both of those agencies, with their respective state and medical chief officers at a federal level, if there are new arrangements that need to be put in place to protect the health and safety of everyone," he said.

"That may be possible, so I am not going to pre-empt those outcomes, but I am sure we can work those issues through on a practical case-by-case basis."

In response to Morrison's announcement, the NRL is confident its competition can continue unaffected.

The league has chartered a plane to take teams around the country, lessening the chance of players and staff being exposed to the virus while travelling.

The A-League is expected to announce more rescheduled fixtures, possibly on Sunday, as the schedule is condensed to complete the season as soon as possible.

Among the matches likely to be shifted is Sydney FC's game against Brisbane, which may be brought forward from Saturday to Wednesday.

Perth have agreed to give up a home game and face Western Sydney, Adelaide and Wellington in the space of 8-9 days to complete their fixtures.

The AFL has reduced its season to a 17-round home-and-away schedule, but is still playing matches across the country at this stage.

AAP