A-League match postponed because of expected hot conditions
SYDNEY (AP) — Football Federation Australia is placing a lot of faith in the weather bureau, moving two days before the scheduled kick off to postpone a weekend match because of forecast hot temperatures.
The FFA on Thursday said the A-League match late Saturday afternoon at Newcastle, north of Sydney, between the Jets and Melbourne Victory would be moved to Monday evening at the same stadium.
It said New South Wales state was expected to experience "extreme heat-wave conditions" on the weekend and that the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, which considers temperature, humidity, wind speed and the angle of the sun, would be 34 Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) at match time.
The FFA Heat Policy states that matches should be postponed if the WBGT exceeds 28 C (82 F).
"Today's forecast leaves no doubt that the conditions on Saturday in Newcastle will be significantly above the thresholds we have in place," Greg O'Rourke, head of the A-League, said. "Taking into consideration the obvious player welfare concerns, as well as the need to give players, teams and fans the best possible opportunity to plan for the match, moving the match to Monday night is the only decision we could make."
