Canada Soccer outlines Return to Soccer Guidelines as part of Safe Sport Roster
As restrictions begin to ease relating to COVID-19, Canada Soccer has announced that its member organizations must follow the “Return to Soccer Guidelines” before returning to the pitch. Guided by leadership from Canada Soccer’s Sports Medicine Committee and in consultation with federal, provincial,…
As restrictions begin to ease relating to COVID-19, Canada
Soccer has announced that its member organizations must follow the
“Return to Soccer Guidelines” before returning to the pitch. Guided by
leadership from Canada Soccer’s Sports Medicine Committee and in
consultation with federal, provincial, territorial and local public
health authorities, the Return to Soccer Guidelines provide member
organizations with a five-step process, including a checklist of
weighted questions known as the Return to Soccer Assessment Tool, all
for the purpose of determining preparedness to mitigate COVID-19 risks
and implications upon the resumption of soccer and related activities.
“Since
our initial suspension of all sanctioned soccer in Canada in response
to the global COVID-19 pandemic in March, we have worked closely and
collaboratively with our Member Associations and relevant public health
authorities as well as monitored the situation within the international
soccer community,” said Steven Reed, Canada Soccer President. “As
stay-at-home restrictions begin to ease in parts of the country, we
wanted to ensure that we expanded our Canada Soccer Safe Sport Roster to
provide guidance on how best to ensure a safe return to soccer for all
players, coaches, referees and administrators.”
The Guidelines
are primarily designed to help member organizations manage their
liability and remain compliant with all applicable public health
authorities when returning to soccer and related activities. The
Guidelines may help member organizations determine which new policies
need to be adopted, including social and physical distancing for
training, restricting the number of players participating in such
training, and restricting game play.
“The introduction of the
Canada Soccer Safe Sport Roster in May 2019 was a strong signal from the
country’s soccer leaders that the safety, enjoyment and development of
our athletes is paramount,” said Peter Montopoli, Canada Soccer General
Secretary. “Today, it is even more important that we add to our Safe
Sport Roster this critical tool that will provide the necessary guidance
to our valued members as we all work together to continue to curb the
spread of COVID-19 while providing an opportunity for the Canadian
soccer community to connect back on the pitch.”
The steps outlined in the Canada Soccer Return to Soccer Guidelines include:
- The easing of stay-at-home orders from the Federal public health authority;
- The easing of restrictions on public gatherings from the respective Provincial public health authority;
- The easing of restrictions for field and facility usage by the respective Municipal public health authority;
- Canada
Soccer has received the Return to Soccer Plan from the Provincial or
Territorial Member Association, which has been provided to the
applicable Provincial or Territorial government department and/or public
health authority, and where applicable, has received confirmation from
the Province or Territory that it approves of the Plan; and - Canada
Soccer has received the Return to Soccer Assessment Tool from the
member organization and has provided any comments or feedback to the
member organization or its Provincial or Territorial Member, if any.
“The role of Canada Soccer’s Sports Medicine leadership to ensure safe sport for all levels of the game in our country has never been more paramount during this COVID-19 pandemic and we have been monitoring the situation closely with public health authorities to provide direction for all Canada Soccer sanctioned programs and events,” said Dr. Andrew Pipe, Chair, Canada Soccer Sports Medicine Committee. “The Return to Soccer Guidelines will provide the best possible opportunity for success in continuing to curb the spread of COVID-19 both on and off the pitch.”