AoC Sport coronavirus update - 2.12.20

Following the end of Lockdown 2, the Government has now issued guidance on how grassroots and sport in education can proceed under the latest tier system. So AoC Sport has collated this into a Guidance summary - 2.12.20 for colleges. We are pleased that as things stand, our competitions will be able to commence as planned in January. However, there are two specific areas of the national guidance that will have considerable impact on college sport and both of these relate to restrictions imposed on individuals who were aged 18 or over at the start of the academic year. Under the new guidance, only participants under 18 are exempt from restrictions on gatherings (the rule of six) for indoor sport, meaning that indoor team sport for enrichment or competition purposes can only be played by students under 18 at the start of this academic year. Note - if they turn 18 during the remainder of that year they remain exempt, also EABL and WEABL Basketball is exempt due to its elite classification, as such the restriction to U18s does not apply. Similarly, only individuals who were aged under 18 at the start of the academic year and who attend college in a tier 3 area are permitted to travel outside of their identified tier region for the purposes of sporting competition. This includes for outdoor team sports such as football or hockey. For outdoor sports, students over the age of 18 are allowed to play in home fixtures or in matches that take place within their identified tier region, but cannot play in away fixtures that take place out of region. All ages are permitted to travel to take part in sport between Tier 1 and 2. However, only under 18s and disabled students are able to travel from Tier 1 and 2 into Tier 3. We encourage all members to read our update in full and also familiarise themselves with all other national guidance related to the provision of sport and physical activity. To check which tier your college is in and to find specific guidance please follow this link and enter the college postcode. We will continue to review guidance and update members.