Sydney FC star Milos Ninkovic talks the suspension of the A-League, playing behind closed doors and what it’s like isolating with three young children in his first column for FoxSports.com.au

It’s been a strange week to be a professional athlete in Australia. A week ago I was recovering from playing in one of the biggest games of our season and today I don’t know when the next time I’ll have that feeling again will be.

It’s been a very strange first week and at the moment I’m really enjoying being at home with the family and with my three kids but at the same time it’s very difficult to stay at home with the family and three kids!

My kids are eight, six and 14 months so I think my wife will be very happy with the extra pair of hands to help around and I’m loving spending more time playing with them during a time which would be incredibly busy.

I don’t know if I’ll be enjoying it as much in seven days’ time though!

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I’m already missing the football, even if my last experience of it was something I had never experienced before in my career – and hope to never experience again.

It was my first time playing behind closed doors and to be honest I couldn’t believe how playing a game of football could be so bad. I’ve played friendlies with very few fans but this was a Sydney derby – I’m used to roaring crowds, and a hostile atmosphere in these games.

I didn’t realise playing with no fans would be such a bad experience. It’s a beautiful, big stadium but it was empty. It’s tough to describe but it’s not a memory I want to hold onto for very long.

Don’t get me wrong, all of the players and I still really wanted to play this game – and not just because it’s a derby, we would have been desperate to play any game.

We want to finish the season. We are eight points clear of Melbourne City and have played three games fewer so we want to see this through. We have worked so hard throughout pre-season and the season to put ourselves in this position and that’s why we want to keep playing.

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It’s a frustrating situation but it is what it is and we can’t do anything to change that. It’s nothing compared to what is going on across the rest of the world right now. The most important thing now is to stay positive and healthy. I really hope and pray that everything will be able to get back to normal soon but no one knows what will happen in the next few weeks.

Things are changing so quickly and a few weeks ago we wouldn’t have thought the season would be suspended. There was a feeling this would happen when I arrived at training on Tuesday given what had happened with the other major sports, not just Australia but across the rest of the world – apart from maybe Belarus!

I knew the day would inevitably come but we heard nothing official until we watched the CEO of the FFA on TV like everyone else.

It was a weird feeling at the training ground that morning. There was a very sad atmosphere because we all felt pretty helpless about the situation but we still stuck around for a training session and oddly it was one of the most fun sessions we had had for a while with all the coaches and medical staff getting involved with the players!

We all had a big lunch after that, thinking that we’d maybe all see each other in a week or two once things had calmed down but we will see what happens.

I’ve got a core program to keep fit at home while isolating with my family and have been playing some football, of course, but also a lot of basketball. It’s nice to keep things varied so it doesn’t get boring.

The change of routine is really enjoyable at the moment with all of my family but ask me again in a few weeks because the next few days will be difficult.

I’m used to going to training, finishing, having lunch at the training ground, having a massage and playing some games but it’s completely different now. And this isn’t just professional athletes, this is everyone in the world right now who has to stay at home. That’s probably the worst thing.

I’ve been speaking to my family back in Serbia every day and it’s so different to how it is here. I have my parents and my sister and her family still there and they’ve got a 5pm curfew enforced and are only allowed to leave the house for supermarkets and medical supplies.

For now my thoughts are with them and staying as positive as possible because there will be lots of challenges still to come.