If both NZ & Australia get 60% plus of their populations vaccinated by end of this year - and everything suggests they will - high chance that quarantine free travel between the 2 countries will be possible. With health passports, proof of vaccination or whatever.
Bearing in mind that if the 2022 A League season becomes a pure winter comp, it won't start until Feb/March 2022, ie 12 months from now.
This is an estimate on when countries will reach 60% vaccination coverage (hopefully no new vaccine resistant variants in that time)
Given all the hues of the rainbow this is an awful map. I'm colour blind so basically I just see two shades there. I presume that USA will have it's herd immunity before Senegal?
Anyway Ardern's said NZ's vaccination program should be completed by year end. I'll trust her over The Economist, for knowing on what's likely to happen downunder.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus...
There will definitely be plans underway to facilitate quarantine free travel between NZ & Australia ASAP. Expect that needing to have had the vaccine before boarding will be part of that, so any members of sports teams who are anti vaxxers may not be allowed to travel.
So in theory you may not need 'herd immunity' to be achieved, for vaccinated people (incl sports teams) to fly between NZ & Australia.