We will be publishing resources and key information on the dedicated Return to Play page
Guidance
It’s taken a while but we have got there at last and can now prepare to begin training again. The Safe Return to Wheelchair Rugby Guidance sets out to provide clubs and individuals with all the information needed to safely return to our sport. It’s an interactive document so as you go through it you can click on the links and this will take you to more detailed instructions, protocols or templates for you to use, all designed to make it as easy as possible to ensure we do everything we can to feel confident about returning to our wheelchair rugby communities.
If you are returning to training or are supporting someone who is then you must familiarise yourself with this Guidance and ensure you meet the requirements as they apply to you. Club COVID-19 Leads and Club officials have particular responsibilities for ensuring that the Guidance is followed at all times. As you read through the document you will also see that there are a number of conditions to be met before you can start your first training session. These include:
- Each club having a COVID-19 lead
- The Club COVID-19 Lead and at least one other individual from each club taking part in online training (this will cover key areas such as hygiene, cleaning of kit and equipment, risk assessment and training protocols; the aim will be to get these courses online by the end of this month)
- Each club providing GBWR with a completed risk assessment which has been developed with the club’s venue provider
When all of this has been checked and signed off by GBWR then clubs will be authorised to begin training at Step 1 of the Return to Wheelchair Rugby plan.
I am aware that not all clubs will be returning to play immediately. Some are still not able to access their venues whilst others have decided to wait until a later stage in the Step plan. Whatever the club’s decision, we will be here to support you in whatever way we can.
Step Changes
Please note that we have revised the 5 Step Plan at Steps 3 & 4 to increase the number of players: at Step 3, players can now come together in groups of up to 5 (previously 4), and at Step 4, players can now come together in groups of up to 10 (previously 8). Effectively, this will allow WR5s teams, and not just Paralympic discipline teams, to come together and practice team tactics ahead of a full return to competition at Step 5.
Return to Training will initially be permitted at Step 1 of the Plan but we hope to be able to move on from that in a reasonable timescale. Step 1 will not only allow players to get used to their playing chairs again and to build on their fitness, but it will also give time for us all to get used to training whilst operating under COVID-19 guidelines. It is critical that training is only conducted within the Step authorised. Step changes will be communicated to Clubs direct and will also be posted on the website.
We Are All Learning!
Although we have tried to think about all the different things that are involved with return to training I am sure there will be things that we have missed or which crop up when we put all of this into practice. None of us have operated like this before and we are all learning. If you find other things which we need to think about or something just does not work in practice that is currently included in the Guidance then please let us know – you can do that by emailing the direct COVID-19 email address or by speaking to your RDO. We can then look at how we can improve the Guidance.
Further Extension to Membership
We previously wrote to you in the early stages of lockdown to advise that all memberships would be extended by 6 months, from the date we announced postponement of competition and stopping of training.
As we’ve continued to monitor the COVID-19 situation, we are now pleased to confirm that your membership will be further extended – if your membership was due to expire before 31 March 2021, it has now been extended to this date at no cost to you or your club. We hope this removes some administrative and financial burden from members and clubs, as we begin to return to training.
GB Squad Back
Finally, as I write the GB squad have their first return to training session at Lilleshall. The squad is also operating at Step 1 and we are grateful to all the team at Lilleshall who have been working with us over the past few weeks to create a safe environment for our return.
David Pond, Chief Executive
