Anyone else see Oliver Dowden on the news today saying grassroots sport will return from early July and then a gradual restart of sports. my opinion is that well probably starting with sports like cricket/ netball etc then going on to hopefully football and other sports by late July/early august - this all depends on the R number obviously but this was on the government update today
English Grassroots Return
- Thread starter BrumRef
- Start date
Justylove
RefChat Addict
I think that at the Top and Bottom of the football pyramid there’s a chance, it’s the bit in between that is potentially problematic.
At the top level we’ve seen the return of football yesterday, with some changes to the way in which teams operate (opening up other areas as expanded changing facilities etc) and the money is there from TV revenues so in fact in the Premier League, clubs don’t actually need fans in the ground financially.
At the bottom end, typically games are played between teams very local to each other, so whilst the changing facilities often aren’t great it’s more than possible to have players arrive in their kit and then leave after the game still in their kit. The same applies to Youth Football, where often this happens anyway. I’d expect to see a gradual return of football at this level, quite possibly starting with Youth football first.
The middle of the pyramid is the problem as I see it. Clubs are more reliant on match day income from supporters. They also don’t have the space to easily have extended changing areas to accommodate social distancing. The distances that teams need to travel grow quite considerably and in the Supply League I’m part of we’ve got fixtures that are a 2 hour drive (on a clear run) each way for the away team. When you get up to Contrib level, that goes up to 4+ hours each way. So the feasibility of having to have players travel separately to games, potentially already dressed in their kit, then drive home without being able to use changing facilities is pretty significant.
There will be some practical challenges, but football would be essentially safe imo
I'd expect that Social Distancing will tow the WHO line and revert to 1m by July 4th
Paying spectators ought to be back by September. I don't see this being too much of an issue in the amateur game as most clubs get lower attendances than they'd like, meaning Social D' could be maintained. The Professional game with packed stadia... I don't know how that will work
A challenge I foresee is in the Social D' message. If 1m remains in place, contact sport will need to be an exception to the rule. Now, we've seen how society goes into meltdown when the message is diluted. Hmmm...
I'd expect that Social Distancing will tow the WHO line and revert to 1m by July 4th
Paying spectators ought to be back by September. I don't see this being too much of an issue in the amateur game as most clubs get lower attendances than they'd like, meaning Social D' could be maintained. The Professional game with packed stadia... I don't know how that will work
A challenge I foresee is in the Social D' message. If 1m remains in place, contact sport will need to be an exception to the rule. Now, we've seen how society goes into meltdown when the message is diluted. Hmmm...
Justylove
RefChat Addict
How do you handle teams getting to the ground and getting changed before and after the game?
Where there's a will, there'a a way
Ciley Myrus
RefChat Addict
Yeah, the issue you're going to have is that not everyone will have their own transport. Maybe John lives down the street from Dave, and only John can drive. Or all sorts of other similar scenarios.
I suspect they will say that changing rooms remain changed and players travel to and from the ground in kit, that is after all what they said when professional players went back to training. One obvious problem there is that toilets are almost always inside changing rooms, and as Graeme has said how do people get to games as they won't necessarily all have cars like professional players do.
Russell Jones
RefChat Addict
Totally agree with you that the middle of the pyramid is the most problematic, for the reasons that you specify.
However we are probably talking at least two months from now and if you consider how quickly the situation has changed in the last two months that gives cause for optimism. Equally, Supply and Contrib clubs will be needing / wanting to get back into action with paying spectators as otherwise their financial problems will continue to mount. That will be a big incentive to overcome the (real) logistical issues, subject to government approval (where sentiment seems positive based on the noises coming out of the relevant daily briefings). As our feline friend says, where there's a will, there's a way!
I think players sharing cars to games may have to come with some sort of common sense and take a chance/risk, if possible.
If a player /driver hasn't had symptoms of the virus in either the last 2 weeks /month /ever, then with face coverings and potentially windows of the car down where possible, i think that could work, but happy to be proven wrong.
I'm trying to think of a better way, but i can't.
Ciley Myrus
RefChat Addict
well best player or not, if might be if cant get there/change/drive safely etc, then, not playing
It might come down to, which 13 can turn up safely stripped rather than, here is my chosen 13
Not great, but, better than nothing
my reservation for me is toilets, i know i will need to go at very least at ht, and i hate pissing outside, not cos I struggle too, but cos it looks bad for passers by etc, its not nice to see half a team urinating at side of pitch, or even as far in the trees as is possible, but, there really would be little option, except, back to the car and into a bottle?
Again, not great but if thats what it takes.
But out of 26 players, couple coaches, so, even say 30 adults, over a 2 hour period, somebody is going to need a dump...
Justylove
RefChat Addict
I believe there is a Step 5/6 league meeting today. Will be interesting to see what comes out of that.
Windows down won't help anything because its not an airborne virus.
Face coverings might help, a la public transport, but the advice at the min is to avoid it unless essential so can't see them saying jump in your mates car to get to a game of footy.
Face coverings only work if there's no virus in the car already. So if your mates got it, and he sprayed it all over his car before you got in, the face covering is pointless. You're only saving grace would be hand hygiene and not touching your face, something I didn't realise how often I did.
I hope my hands don’t get pulled for driving with excess alcohol, they’ve got to be over the limit! 
Kes
I'll Decide ...
I don't think it'll start again before Sept. Not actually worth all the hassle for clubs, players and officials alike to try to make it happen a few weeks earlier. What would be the point? Last season went pear-shaped. It's gone. This is a new season looming now so why try to start it earlier when ordinarily it wouldn't begin until Sept for most grass roots clubs? 
Actually you may want to rethink that....the main route of transmission is respiratory therefore it is an airborne virus.....hence why face coverings to prevent infected individuals coughing and sneezing the virus into the atmosphere and why good ventilation reduces the concentration and hence likely transmission within enclosed spaces.......
Justylove
RefChat Addict
I don't think it'll start again before Sept. Not actually worth all the hassle for clubs, players and officials alike to try to make it happen a few weeks earlier. What would be the point? Last season went pear-shaped. It's gone. This is a new season looming now so why try to start it earlier when ordinarily it wouldn't begin until Sept for most grass roots clubs?
Semi Pro season starts in August normally.
Based on some reading I did some weeks back, the droplets expelled when coughing or sneezing (and to a lesser extent, shouting, talking) are quite large and therefore only stay airborne for a very short duration. In an outdoor environment, the droplets are dispersed even quicker by the wind.
Strictly speaking, most of the droplets are not classed as aerosol because their diameter is over a certain threshold
So catching the virus directly from inhaling these droplets, is far less likely than coming into contact with them via contaminated surfaces, where the virus can live for days on end
Facemasks will limit the distance the droplets are projected and will limit hand to mouth/nose/eyes spreading
I'm certain there's a large element of society who wrongly think face coverings will prevent inhalation, which is why people wearing them in parks etc.
Apologies if you know some or all of this already
Kes
I'll Decide ...
Yeah I know, I'm no stranger to a sudden glut of FA Cup/FA Vase Assistant appointments that seem to materialise every weekend from around mid August,
but for those of us crusty old level 5s who generally do a Step 7 or below regular Saturday middle, the season proper starts September onwards ... 
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Indeed, however primary source of infection is still respiratory hence why they persist with two metre social distaning