COVID-19 Return to Play Procedure – 4 & 5 July​

This procedure has been developed in conjunction with the FNSW ‘Return to Play’ Guidelines and the NSW Government Health Orders in place at the time.

COACHES AND TEAM MANAGERS
Before participating in any football activity, coaches, players, team officials, parents/carers and other club members must not attend training or matches, if in the past 14 days they have:
  • been unwell or had any flu-like symptoms, or
  • been in contact with a known or suspected case of COVID-19, or
  • any sudden loss of smell or loss of taste, or
  • are at a high risk from a health perspective, including the elderly and those with pre-existing medical heath conditions.
Check the NSW Government website for advice regarding the full list of symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection:  
www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/symptoms-and-testing

Social Distancing:
  • Where team benches are permanent (fixed), we will limit the total number of seats to ensure a minimum of 1.5 metres between each member of the coaching staff and substitutes. Where possible, we will mark seats with masking tape and if necessary, provide additional seats to extend the length of the bench.

​Where team benches are made up of plastic/other moveable chairs, we will position them so they are at least 1.5 metres apart. Further, we will place signage in technical areas promoting social distancing and reposition the chairs at the required distance between matches.
Technical Area: 
  • The area will be clearly marked and an official is designated to ensure referees are informed of the marked area PRIOR to the commencement of the game – it would also assist if a vested official is used to ensure compliance by those occupying the bench
  • ALL occupants of the expanded area, where it is inside the fence, MUST at ALL times wear clothing that distinguishes them from on field participants. This is particularly the case when opposite AR2.
  • The Referees are NOT responsible and, should not be expected to be responsible, for managing social distancing within their officiating duties.
  • Match Officials will not hesitate to Sanction for:
  1. sanctionable behaviour as now defined in the Laws of The Game within the expanded areas
  2. players or officials who do not comply by remaining in the specified expanded Technical Area area (eg if substitutes etc  are outside of the marked/specified area eg in spectator areas on a hill away from the specified area). Legitimate warm up as normal is OK.
  • Promote and communicate the importance of social distancing of 1.5 metres between spectators and players as well as parents/carers.
  • We will encourage players and spectators to leave the facility as soon as possible following the conclusion of their training/games.
  • We will limit the use of changerooms, gym, wet or inside areas to essential players and team officials and clean these spaces regularly.
  • We will communicate with players and team staff to encourage personal equipment and bags are arranged to maintain physical distancing of participants (> 1.5 metres) and separation between teams.
  • We will ensure the number of people that can occupy indoor spaces are in accordance with the 4m2 guideline including toilets and change rooms.
  • We will encourage all participants to shower/change at home where possible.
  • We will wipe down key spaces, surfaces and objects (such as benchtops, door handles, team benches, keys etc regularly).
  • Promote and provide hand washing guidance to all participants and volunteers (www.who.int/gpsc/clean_hands_protection/en/).
  • Promote regular and thorough hand washing by volunteers and participants.
  • Players should avoid:
  1. Team handshakes prior to kick-off
  2. Team huddles, handshakes and high fives
  3. Mulitiplayer goal celebrations
  4. Spitting
  • We will encourage players, officials, volunteers, and/or their parents/carers to carry clearly labelled personal hand sanitiser to enable good personal hygiene.
  • We will stipulate that all participants are to provide their own clearly labelled drink bottle for their use only.
  • We will communicate to all participants the importance of not sharing any food or drinks.
  • We will not provide any communal drink or food for players such as drink drums, packets of lollies, fruit etc.
  • We will encourage players to be responsible for the cleaning of their own playing and training strip (including bibs) and will avoid the sharing of articles of clothing such as volunteer high visibility vests (jacketed marshals will take their own vest home to wash).
  • Where it is not possible for individuals to wash individual items, we encourage safe processes are in place to launder shared uniform items such as non-contact collection of these items (ie. players to place gear directly into a plastic bag) and the wearing of gloves when laundering
  • Within the constraints of the game, we will implement arrangements to minimise the shared use of equipment where possible.
  • Players and coaching staff will be encouraged to not share personal equipment including playing equipment, playing kits, bibs, drink bottles and towels.
  • We will discourage the sharing of common stationery (pens, clip boards etc.) and other personal IT equipment (laptops, iPads, headphones, etc).
  • Shared equipment (particularly footballs) will be rotated or washed and wiped with antibacterial wipes or alcohol-based sanitiser prior to each match.

Personal Hygiene:
  1. Cover mouth and nose with a. tissue or your elbow (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
  2. Wash hands with soap and water often
  3. Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
  4. Do not touch your eyes, nose if your hands are not clean
  5. Not spitting at any time
  6. Practice social distancing. If someone comes and stands next to you, move around the field and ensure you implement social distancing requirements

To further aid the fight against COVID-19, Football NSW supports the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe app and has strongly encouraged all members of the football community to get behind this initiative.

We have encouraged members of our club to download the COVIDSafe app from the Apple App store and Google Play

We commit to cooperate fully with NSW Health if contacted in relation to a positive case of COVID-19 and notify SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.

​Coaches are encouraged to use the following resources and websites in order to obtain accurate information: