Team sports to start returning from SATURDAY with cricket first – but car shares to the match and post-game clubhouse drinks are still off-limits
- Sports governing bodies must submit ‘detailed safety plans’ before returning
- Supporters can attend and different households are allowed to participate
- Clubhouse bars will be reopened in line with guidance with groups limited to six
Team sports will start returning from Saturday with cricket first – but car shares to the match and post-game clubhouse drinks are still off-limits.
Sports governing bodies must submit ‘detailed safety plans’ before returning this summer, in rules laid out by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Supporters can attend matches in small groups and must socially distance, with different households allowed to participate in training and fixtures.
Sports governing bodies must submit ‘detailed safety plans’ before returning this summer, in rules laid out by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
In each sport’s action plan, it is required to set out how it will operate, its mitigation measures and any necessary adjustments.
New guidelines issued today include players and spectators walking or cycling to the match if possible, minimising their use of public transport and car-sharing with people from different households.
Club toilets will be open before, during and for half an hour after the match, with thorough cleaning measures, and clubhouse bars will be reopened in line with government guidance on hospitality, with groups limited to six people.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has already submitted its proposals, allowing the recreational sport to return.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has already submitted its proposals, allowing the recreational sport to return
The measures are provisional and can be suspended if there is a local or national virus outbreak.
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: ‘This is fantastic news for the millions of people who miss playing sport with their friends and teammates.
‘This guidance sets out how community sport can be done safely, so many more sports can get going again.
‘Sports Governing Bodies are now putting stringent measures in place so that the millions of people that play, officiate and volunteer can keep safe while enjoying all the benefits that grassroots sport brings.’