Basketball England has produced Return To Play (RTP) guidance to help the sport bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It comes as the Government continues to ease social distancing measures and has been compiled with the input of all departments at Basketball England, including the Sports Science and Medicine Team, led by Chief Medical Officer Dr Dane Vishnubala.
BE has consulted with members, clubs, stakeholders, other sports, higher education institutions, research sectors and Sport England in order to plot a phased, flexible way forward for the sport based on an agile response to the developing Government advice.
The guidance features levels from five down to zero, which align with Government’s social distancing rules.
What is allowed?
Drills, skills, team-based training; behind-closed-doors competition.
Can indoor venues reopen?
Yes, they are allowed to. But the final decision rests with the owner/operator of the building.
What does Level 2 mean?
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.
Coaches, team managers, medical staff must wear face masks
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 Programme would help to reduce the risks.
More details are available from the Basketball England Website.
