EVERY person has a role to play and strictly speaking, there should be NO SPECTATORS at any match, MAXIMUM of ONE parent per child and a strict adherence to social distancing that includes no physical interaction.
It has become obvious that some players and participants continue to be unaware of, or ignore some of the guidelines. It is not the responsibility of match officials to ensure participants adhere to all guidelines but they will remind participants of specific guidelines when appropriate. These may include:
- No handshakes/high fives/hugs between players/coaches/match officials (perhaps use an elbow bump instead);
- No sharing of drink bottles;
- No signatures on match sheets (mention this to the coach if you see signatures when you’re handed the match sheet pre-match);
- Bibs should not be worn (unless each player has their own bib – which is unlikely);
- Only one person from each team (and the centre referee) should handle each match sheet.
If we all work together to follow the guidelines, we can minimise the risk and ensure that our season continues.