The empty seats at Deakin Stadium will serve as a stark sign of the times when Gungahlin United launch their Championship Series campaign this weekend.
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Capital Football has capped crowds at its finals football venues to 200 patrons, inclusive of players, staff, club officials, referees, media personnel and volunteers.
Spectator attendance will be restricted to teams playing at the venue, with clubs to be issued a certain number of tickets for each match.
The NPL Championship Series will start at Deakin Stadium and Riverside Stadium this weekend, with the former venue to host Group A.
Access to certain areas at the two venues will be also closed for the series, including change rooms.
For reigning champions Gungahlin, the cheers of a thousand-strong finals crowd will be a distant memory when they meet Belconnen United on Saturday afternoon.
But mentor Marcial Munoz says any crowd, given the circumstances, is good to have.
"It's always important for any team to have their fans or supporter base there, providing them with a bit of momentum and energy especially in finals," Munoz said.
"Whatever crowd, based on the circumstances, we're about to have is a really good thing.
"There's a huge difference in the league itself this year. It's been very different as a whole... not being able to use changerooms, not being able to talk to your players in those intimate surrounds, let alone having to play a finals series at the same venue.
"Not having a home advantage makes it a bit more strange and awkward, but it's a sign of our times now."
The Championship Series will consist of round-robin matches, with the two top teams in Group A advancing to the grand final on September 26.
Minor premiers Canberra Croatia will host Tigers FC in the opening round on Saturday, following the Gungahlin-Belconnen clash.
Gungahlin finished second in the premiership standings and are coming off a nil-all draw to Monaro Panthers, who will contest Group B.
They beat Belconnen 3-1 in round three and Munoz says his side is ready to lift to another level for finals.
"We're going into an extremely tough match this week, by far one of the toughest teams we've faced in this one round competition," Munoz said.
"I feel that we're going into this game with pretty good momentum, a lot of the players are getting where they finished last year. They're pretty close.
"That hunger and determination in finals football, I think the Gungahlin players are ready to take it up to another level."
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
