With the launch of the Basketball England Return to Play Roadmap and Guidance and the relaxation of some Government COVID-19 lockdown measures, more basketball activities can take place.
The Roadmap - seen in the graphic below - provides a snapshot of how members can safely return to play in phases, subject to Government advice.
The full supporting Guidance document can be found here.
What does Level 3 mean for basketball?
You can exercise alone, with members of your household, or with up to, but no more than five other people from outside your household, while keeping two metres apart at all times.
Gatherings of more than six people are not permitted. Social distancing of two metres applies to people outside of your household. If you are playing sport or exercising with people from your own household, the-two metre rule does not apply.
- Use of outdoor courts is allowed. Each venue, including council-owned sports facilities, should make their own decisions about when their facilities are ready. Be aware, some venue providers have elected to keep their outdoor facilities closed, even though restrictions have been reduced.
- Indoor courts are permitted for Government-defined ‘Elite’ athletes only. This is subject to local guidance on the opening and accessibility of facilities.
- People from the same households can continue to play outdoor basketball together in public.
- Individuals can can meet up outside with up to five people at a time from outside their household, as long as that person remains two metres away - meaning individual shooting practice, dribbling drills etc are possible but close-contact activities such as one-vs-one or more, are not.
Other things to consider with regards to Level 3 activity:
- Any coaches or staff present on an outdoor court must be included in the six-person limit. It isn't six players plus coaches/staff
- Be mindful that if players aged under 18 are playing, at least two adults should be present to oversee activity
- A single ball can be used ONLY between people from the same household. If people are from different households, each player must have their own ball
- During play, go and get your own ball; no rebounding or retrieval of balls by other people
- If working in small groups, make sure those groups remain separate throughout the training session and afterwards, as this will help reduce contact risk. Coaches should implement, document and monitor the groups throughout the session. This will reduce difficulties with contact tracing if a COVID-19 case is identified.
Level 3 hygiene measures - preparation
- Arrive to the venue already changed and ready to play
- After going to the toilet, thoroughly wash hands for a minimum of 20 seconds with soap or alcohol gel (minimum 60% ethanol or 70% is propanol)
- No use of changing rooms
- No handshakes, high fives or other bodily contact
- Social distancing rules apply if at levels 4 and 3 (currently 2 metres distance)
- No carpooling to venues
- Avoid public transport where possible
- Avoid touching high-contact surfaces such as door handles, benches, chairs, public computer keyboards etc.
Level 3 hygiene measures - during training/playing
- Ball washing or wiping down with wipes (we recommend Clinell Universal Wipes) prior to starting – each individual to clean their own ball (levels 4 and 3)
- A single ball could be used ONLY within a household as long as it is wiped down before and after playing
- Within a club environment or with individuals not from the same household, everyone has to play with their own ball that has already been disinfected
- No use of bibs unless brought directly by the player
- No shared towels
- No shared water bottles
- No ‘crates’ of water to be provided by clubs/coaches
- No handshakes, high fives or other bodily contact
- Have plenty of hand sanitiser available courtside with regular stoppages (the recommendation is every 30 minutes) for application
- Ball washing/wiping at the end of the session - everyone to wash their own
- Immediate hand washing once the session is complete
- Recommended use of face masks for coaches, support staff and officials
We highly recommend all members, clubs and coaches look through the Return to Play guidance and familiarise themselves with the various steps and recommendations for Basketball England's six response levels.
Further Government guidance will mean either an increase or decrease in Basketball England's response level as a result. As and when this occurs, we'll update all our members on what this means for the game.
