RETURN TO SPORT 17th MAY

|

Written by :

EdStivala

|

May 14, 2021

For those of you in England, 17th May sees a number go changes to what is permissible in terms of returning to “sport” post COViD lockdown. The following highlights are taken from the Sport England FAQ page (as at 14th May).

Link to their page is at the end of the extract. Please note that this is an evolving document (and situation!) and therefore it is advisable to check the for changes periodically.

It is also worth stressing that this is guidance and simply because you “are allowed” to do something does not mean you “should do it”. Use your common sense and consider whether something is the “right” thing to do!

Summary

Indoor: Indoor gatherings of either six people (the ‘rule of six’) or two households can take place. Organised indoor adult and children sport and physical activity can return (including exercises classes) subject to sport-specific guidance. For organised indoor sport and physical activity, there’s no limit on group numbers so long as people adhere to capacity restrictions on indoor facilities. The maximum occupancy of each indoor facility should be limited by providing a minimum of 100 sq ft per person.
Outdoor: Up to 30 people can meet outdoors. Organised outdoor sport and physical activity can take place in any numbers, subject to sport-specific guidance.
Organised sport and activity includes:
- Organised group activities (such as, but not limited to, exercise classes, group cycle rides, walking groups etc.)
- Organised team sports, including adapted versions for ‘higher risk’ team sports (following approved guidance)
- Other organised sports (such as, but not limited to, tennis, badminton, golf, horse riding, water sports etc.)
- Organised sport participation events (such as, but not limited to, road races, running and cycling events, triathlons etc.)
- Organised contact combat sports (following approved guidance). See contact combat sport FAQ for information about what phase activities can return at.
Exemptions for elite sport training and fixtures apply.
Facilities: All sports facilities can open. This includes facilities which can be used for sport but are primarily used for leisure (such as trampoline parks, bowling alleys and ice rinks) or which provide physical activity which is not a recognised sport (such as airsoft venues).
Changing rooms: Changing rooms can open, but participants should be encouraged to avoid or minimise use where possible.
Spectators: Spectators will be permitted to view events on both public and private land in Step 3, but need to adhere to social distancing rules and social gathering limits (groups of 30 outdoors and six people/two households indoors). Spectators are allowed indoors, but the total number of all participants, coaches, officials and spectators must be aligned with the ventilation rates permitted by the particular venue. During Step 3, there should not be more than 1,000 spectators indoors at any venue.
Travel: You can leave your home to exercise and take part in informal and organised sport and physical activity. Car sharing will be permitted in Step 3 for sport and physical activity. The guidance for safer travel will be updated ahead of Step 3 to provide further information about this.
Hospitality: Clubhouses and facilities that serve food and drink can open. In Step 3, both indoor and outdoor hospitality will be permitted. The guidance on hospitality settings will be updated ahead of Step 3 to provide further information about this.