Racing is hoping to buck the trend of sports shutting down during the coronavirus pandemic, even if a jockey tests positive.

This autumn, for the first time since World War II, footy fields across Victoria will be empty on Saturdays, which could spell the end for some struggling regional clubs.

AFL and NRL players begin to get used to the "weird" sensation of playing matches inside empty stadiums as both competitions step up measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The league, clubs and broadcasters found multiple ways to demonstrate they could stage the game without breaching all these cloying new societal protocols, writes Richard Hinds.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says the competition will shut down for at least 30 days — not 14 — if a player tests positive to coronavirus.

As the AFL's ban on spectators continues because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Giants and Power impress in their season openers, while the Bombers and Swans also enjoy victories.

It was the '80s — the hair was big, life was large, and Aussie Rules were dirty words in Queensland. One man with a lot of cash to splash would change that.

The AFL calls a halt to games until at least May 31 in response to the coronavirus outbreak, but the NRL says it is proceeding until told to stop.

Over the course of four days of football, the new AFL season went from being totally surreal to almost normal — then back to flat-out weird, writes Al Nicholson.

What started as a feeling of tempered excitement as the weekend began, finished with a hollow acceptance that the world had changed, and Australian sport was not immune, writes Quentin Hull.

It was welcomed by athletes around the world, but the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until 2021 was easy in comparison to what comes next, writes Tracey Holmes.

Neither of the major football codes seem likely to emerge from the coronavirus outlook unscathed and nor do the free-to-air television networks that broadcast their matches.

Almost every major sporting league around the world is on hiatus. But esports can fill the sporting void in your weekend schedule. Here's how to get into it, and what to watch this weekend.

Footy brings people together and it's an escape from the daily grind. But life without it starts this weekend, so how are the fans going to deal?

The ugly stand-off between the AFL and its players is finally over, with the two parties agreeing to a pay deal while the men's 2020 premiership season is suspended because of coronavirus.

It's a difficult time for all footy clubs and everyone involved with suspended seasons — but if you're a holder of a club membership who wants a refund, you might be left disappointed.

Coronavirus has changed sport forever. But what will it look like when it comes back?

Jo Brigden-Jones was planning to retire after the Tokyo Games, but with her Olympic farewell delayed, she is back on the frontline as a paramedic with NSW Ambulance.

The WA branch of the Australian Medical Association says horse and greyhound races should be put on hold during the coronavirus outbreak out of respect for the community.

The NRL cancels the registrations of Jayden Okunbor and Corey Harawira-Naera after they brought two young women back to the team hotel during a preseason trip.

The usually all-powerful AFL could find itself in a rare moment of negotiating weakness should a season delayed because of coronavirus mean it needs access to stadiums booked by cricket, writes Richard Hinds.

As cricket's coronavirus shutdown continues, Australian coach Justin Langer suggests resuming games in empty stadiums when possible, saying he will never take for granted how lucky he and the team are again.

While the focus is on the suspended AFL season, the coronavirus outbreak is also having a big impact on state-based leagues like the SANFL and the WAFL.

While UFC president Dana White isn't saying where it is, he says "infrastructure is being built right now" on an island that will host UFC fights amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Rugby league's governing body says a letter sent by NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller shows there is nothing to "preclude the commencement of the modified NRL competition" in May, despite health authorities being wary about relaxing restrictions too soon.

Former Richmond Tigers premiership player Michael Bowden is remembered as a fierce footballer, inspiring educator and compassionate family man after his death from motor neurone disease at the age of 73.

The NRL is leading the charge to get sport restarted, planning games by late next month — but Australia's Federal Sports Minister is urging all codes to have patience amid the coronavirus pandemic.

When Georgie Rowe hopped on her indoor rowing machine, she had no intention of breaking a world record. But she has just overtaken an Olympic gold medallist.

With major sporting competitions on hold because of coronavirus, now is the time to reassess how we approach the sport-lifestyle balance of professional athletes and even how they are recruited, writes Richard Hinds.

Young Adelaide Crows forward Tyson Stengle has been reported for drink driving after he recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.125. He is the second AFL player to be caught up in a drink driving offence in the last 24 hours.

Nestled deep in the rugby league heartland of central Queensland, the Yeppoon Swans A-grade side is hot on the heels of a 44-year-old Australian record for the most consecutive wins in Aussie Rules.

Todd Greenberg resigns with immediate effect after four years leading the NRL, in a decision the sporting body says was mutually agreed.

It's usually a glamorous event in front of a packed arena, but this year's NFL draft will be broadcast from nearly 200 locations to sports-starved fans.

Raelene Castle's position as Rugby Australia chief executive is not under review in the wake of the no-confidence letter issued by a group of former Wallabies captains, but the governing body can't guarantee it won't hold discussions down the track.

Queensland health authorities will consider giving the state's NRL teams the nod to bypass coronavirus restrictions and resume training as the code prepares to restart the season on May 28.

Don't let all this extra time at home get in the way of your long-cherished athletic goals. Here's how you can emerge from social distancing the proud champion of a sport you've just invented.

Raelene Castle says "the sport is bigger than any one individual", resigning after the Rugby Australia board told her it wanted "clear air" without her as chief executive.

Despairing the lack of sport around the globe, Adelaide man Shane Robinson and his mates stumbled upon a Belarus football team, FK Slutsk. Little did they know that just weeks later they would be helping the struggling club to survive.

Rugby Australia chairman Paul McLean defends Raelene Castle's tenure as chief executive, as he calls out the bullying she received from "faceless people" during her time in the job.

While the latest coronavirus update from the Prime Minister and Chief Medical Officer looked promising for ways we can start to shift back to normal life, they say it's still too early to start lifting baseline restrictions.

A smiling, happy Brydi Saul is on a mission to get to the Paralympics. But rewind three years, and it was a very different story.

NRL players Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr have been fined $1,000 each for breaching the state's coronavirus distancing lockdown during a weekend away, as the NRL describes the getaway as "unacceptable".

The Bundesliga could be the first top-flight football competition in the world to return from an enforced break due to coronavirus, and may become a test case for how other leagues approach a return to normality.

The cries of football fans demanding players return to the field under any circumstances have become shrill as the craving for lockdown distraction turns from stoical whimsy to rank desperation, writes Richard Hinds.

Each state and territory is relaxing their coronavirus restrictions differently — and some Australians will be able to do plenty more this weekend than others. Here's what's on the cards.

The reigning champions of the Women's World Cup have the equal pay elements of their multiple-claims lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation tossed out by a federal judge.

Melbourne Storm players prepare to hit the road for Albury, where training will recommence on Wednesday at their new temporary base.

The Adelaide Crows and the AFL investigate a possible breach of the code's training protocols by a group of players at a Barossa Valley resort being used as a quarantine hub.

Questions have been raised around the making of the new Michael Jordan documentary, or why it even exists. But maybe we should just enjoy the show, writes Paul Kennedy.

The Adelaide Crows will be dealt with in an "educative way rather than a punitive way", police say, after players broke coronavirus quarantine guidelines during a training session.