The Newcastle Jets will play the Western Sydney Wanderers this Sunday behind closed doors, with no fans permitted to enter McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Australian Premier League confirmed on Wednesday, the game would be played without crowds due to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak in the Hunter.
Newcastle Jets Executive Chairman Shane Mattiske said the decision was a difficult yet appropriate one to make.
“As a part of this community, the Jets have a responsibility to play our role in helping to decrease the spread of this recent COVID-19 outbreak.
“We know that many families and organisations in our community have already been affected by this recent outbreak, as have the Jets, and it is clear that we need to consider the appropriateness of staging a mass event at this time in the Newcastle region outbreak. In consultation with the APL, it has confirmed that the game should move to be played behind closed doors.
“Having already experienced multiple COVID cases throughout our playing squads, we have already experienced first-hand how quickly this variant can spread and we want to do our best to minimise the risk of Covid transmission amongst our fans and Members.
“We will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds,” Mr Mattiske said.
All those who have already purchased tickets will receive full refunds.