COVID – 19  Update  SEPTEMBER 1st,  2020

Hello P.L.A.Y. Families,

What a year it has been, and it’s not into School yet. We wanted to reach out to you as an organization and share some information as it relates to COVID-19 and our youth sports programs.

The health and safety of the kids in our programs are always our number one priority. That remains the case in the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

It’s difficult to weigh the physical and mental benefits gained from playing team sports with the health risks associated with COVID-19, for our athletes and their family members, coaches, teachers and others.

Please know that each decision we make regarding our sports seasons is made with extensive discussion, weighing multiple options and the risks associated with each. 

We have given each sport some autonomy to make decisions, because the nature of each sport and the risks associated with it are different. If we feel the sport can continue safely with precautions in place, we hope to do that. Examples of this so far include:

• Limiting the number of athletes on a team or in a practice pod (baseball, softball, lacrosse, football, volleyball, cheer)

• Providing face coverings, limiting contact and only competing against teams in our own community (football)

• Social distancing during practice (sideline cheer)

Another goal during this time is to keep our students in school, learning in person, as much as possible, which is a shared goal with PLSAS district #719. To do this, we must limit the spread of COVID-19. The district has decided not to allow indoor facilities to be rented during the first part of the school year, to be reevaluated quarterly. The rationale for this is two-fold:

1. To ensure the necessary cleaning and disinfecting protocols can be met, and that facilities are ready for student learning and use during the school day.

2. To keep kids in just one building—the one where they attend school. While our philosophy of forming teams across schools is great for building community, it does create more opportunity for larger spread of COVID-19 between students at different schools. 

You should have received (and will continue to receive) updates from your sport’s leadership about how this impacts your season. We are open to ideas and suggestions—visit  playinfo.org to find your sport’s board contacts. We’re currently exploring many options to safely continue as many of our sports as possible.

Thank you for your continued support of P.L.A.Y. We are run entirely by volunteers in our community, and are grateful for the time and energy they’re putting in to make tough decisions and find creative ways to play sports safely. We’re all in this together, and we’ll make it through!

Sincerely,

The P.L.A.Y. Executive Board