Basketball England given the green light to progress Return To Play plans
Monday 27th July 2020
16:00
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Basketball England is delightedto announce the UK Government has approved our Return to Play Roadmap and Guidance, allowing us to move to Level 2 of our response plan from Monday 3 August 2020.
The organisation has been working hard over recent weeks as part of the Competitive Team Sports Group, Sport England and the Government to prepare guidelines for the safe return of recreational indoor basketball.
Basketball England CEO Stewart Kellett said:
“It is great news for everyone in the game that we are making a significant step back towards normality,
“The basketball community has been very patient and played their part in supporting the initial guidance to operate at Level 3 and maintain the safety of everyone involved.
“A lot of hardwork has gone into providing a framework for players and clubs to safely get back on indoor courts and expand outdoor activity.Having clinched the 3 August as a return date we can reignite the game, help each other to recover and plan for a restart that will unlock the basketball economy.
“We are excited to be able to move forward but also have to stress how important it is that everyone in basketball respects the guidance and really unites behind it to avoid any further threats to our game and keep everyone involved fit and healthy.”
Key things to consider
Please note there are a number of key modifications and considerations that must be followed to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 as below:
Maximum of 30 people at the venue including players, coaches, support staff and officials. Ensure two adults are present at all practices involving under 18s.
No spectators are permitted at this stage.
Everyone should complete our pre-training/competition screening questionnaire and have their temperature taken outside the venue prior to be permitted entry.
Full compliance with hygiene considerations including hand sanitiser on entry, regular disinfecting of heavily used areas.
Practice in small groups or ‘bubbles’ in training whenever possible, with groups working together throughout the session to reduce risk of transmission.
Contact training should be limited to 20-minute intervals with clear breaks to clean down equipment.
Social distancing rules apply if not on the court in a playing capacity.During game play, players must be socially distanced on benches/chairs when not in a playing capacity and time-outs must be conducted on the court ensuring players are adequately spaced.
To lower the frequency of bodily contact, players/teams must have no handshakes, celebrations/high fives. Shouting is not permitted in the sports hall due to the increased risk of aerosol transmission.
No congregating once training, or game has ended.
Clear signage must be established at the venue to ensure a singular flow of people in and out of the venue.
We are advising clubs to return slowly to competition rather than risk injury to players who have not played basketball for a number of months.Following Basketball England’s 8-Week Athletic Development Programmewould help to reduce the risks.
The full version of our updated Return To Play Roadmap and Guidance includes:
Modified hygiene, screening and venue guidance taking into consideration the latest government advice.
A template Risk Assessment for Level 2 activity
Competitive training and game considerations
A letter of support for clubs and partner organisations to use with venue operators. We understand the vast majority of clubs don’t own their own facilities and support is needed to provide confidence that basketball can return safely.
We are staging a number of support and training webinars to ensure everyone is aware of the responsibility, risks and mitigation strategies that must be adhered to as we move towards Level 2.
The webinar details are as below:
29 July - 4pm-5pm
Focus: Moving to Level 2 – Plan overview
Who is it for: Local League, National League Clubs and partner organisations
