Ice Hockey Covid-19 guidance

English Ice Hockey Association

2020/21 Season Planning Return to play Introduction There is currently a lot of uncertainty over the participation in competitive sport and physical activity and our aim is to set out a direction for the association over the coming months in regard to training and competition. The phased approach back into ice hockey will be dictated by government advice on the resumption of indoor physical tivity and this guidance to assist clubs in planning a return to play. There is currently no change to this advice and participation in ice hockey is therefore not currently allowed. This guidance is structured to support work by the Ice Rink Managers Association, Sport England, CIMSPA and UK Active in allowing the safe resumption of sport and physical activity. Phases of activity summary Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Max Participants 5 15-20 30 50 50+ Social Distancing 2m distance 2m distance Stay Alert Stay Alert Stay Alert Changing arrangements Activity Small group Large group, Single age Large group, mixed age Normal activity, friendly matches Regular season Phases of activity - Phase 1 Max participants: 5 Social Distancing: 2m Changing: At home Small group training allowed to take place. This is unlikely to be on ice which would not be commercially viable with only 5 people training. Distance maintained between participants at a minimum of two metres. Training would need to stay within a specific group and not mix with other training groups therefore would be limited by team / age group or agreed factor. Training may include: • S&C • Plyometrics • Stretching • Tactical work • Technical work • Individual skill development • Passing of puck at distances greater than two metres • Strictly no contact or drills within two metres of other participants. Phases of activity - Phase 2 Max participants: 15-20 Social Distancing: 2m Changing: At home Large group training allowed to take place including on ice. Distance maintained between participants at a minimum of two metres. Training would need to stay within a specific group and not mix with other training groups therefore would be limited by team / age group or agreed factor. Training may include: • S&C • Plyometrics • Stretching • Tactical work • Technical work • Individual skill development • Passing of puck at distances greater than two metres • Strictly no contact or drills within two metres of other participants. • No drills that require players to stand in line within 2m of other participants. Phases of activity - Phase 3 Max participants: 30+ Social Distancing: N/A Changing: At home Whole team / club training without restriction on player movement. No requirement to maintain minimum distance however contact drills / sessions to be introduced over a 2-3 week period for body conditioning. Minimum length of two weeks. Training may include: • S&C • Plyometrics • Stretching • Tactical work • Technical work • Individual skill development • Progressive sessions in relation to contact. • No other restrictions on sessions. Phases of activity - Phase 4 Max participants: 50+ Social Distancing: N/A Changing: At rink Whole team / club training without restriction on player movement. Friendly matches to recommence. Minimum length of two weeks. No restrictions in relation to activity. Phases of activity - Phase 5 Max participants: 50+ Social Distancing: N/A Changing: At rink Regular Season Re- Commences No restrictions in relation to activity. Requirements for all phases of activity l Players should wash or sanitise hands before and after each session. l Players should only use personal equipment including water bottles and all ice hockey protective equipment. l Full registers should be kept for all training sessions including contact details for participants. l Clubs should have in place a reporting structure for an individual to report symptoms and a communication structure using their register data for communicating with participants. Participants with risk factors or illnesses should not attend in-person training and ice sessions. l Participants with symptoms or signs of illness are strictly advised not to enter any training facility and to seek medical assistance. l A coach should be prepared to require that a player exhibiting signs or symptoms of illness will need to leave training. l Players should disinfect all equipment after use. l All clothing (jerseys, pant shells, socks and gloves) should be washed with high temperature after each training session. Requirements for all Phases 4 and 5 l Work to have players appropriately physically distanced in the locker room potentially using multiple locker rooms as required under a venue specific risk assessment. For age groups where parents need to assist players with equipment, limit the number of parents in the locker room at any one time as required under a venue specific risk assessment and in line with child protection guidance. l When leaving the ice, coaches could excuse players one-by-one giving appropriate time for each player to get off the ice. Coaches need to plan to leave an appropriate amount of time at the end of their ice session to complete the dismissal process. Additional considerations for clubs l Work with your rink to notify participants, prior to any in-person training, about the cleaning process being implemented at the rink and additionally by coaches and administrators. This information is being confirmed with the Ice Rink Managers Association through UK Active. Host an online meeting with players’ families to run through plans and allow them to ask questions as it relates to: What they can expect. Planning for the first session. l Precautions being taken to keep the rink clean and safe. l Share what your facility’s protocol for limiting the number of patrons entering at one time. l Communicate and follow the guidelines for the amount of people that are allowed to be in the building and on the ice. Season planning Based on the current operations of competitions within the association, the following is the minimum number of weeks by competition: NIHL National 26 (52 games) NIHL Division 1 18 (36 games) NIHL Division 2 15 (30 games) Juniors 10 (20 games) l Women’s l Universities Recreational 10 (20 games) 12 (12 games) Ad-hoc Based on the number of games and available ice time, the below summarises a proposed position for all competitions: League Season Start League Season Finish Recreational Season Start  1st September 1st April 1st May  1st October 1st May 15th May  1st November 1st June 1st June  1st December 1st July 1st June^  1st January 1st July* 1st June^ * Shorten NIHL National to 22-week season. ^ Limit of 75% normal fixture capacity and extension to end of season. Season planning considerations l The start of the regular season will have a minimum 4 week period prior to commencement as noted in phases 3 and 4. l The association is considering a rolling approach to fixture planning. As an example, this would in practice mean that the season is planned in a number weeks 1-30 and should weeks 1-4 not take place, those fixtures would then take place in weeks 31-34 with weeks 5-30 unaffected. l Based on the restrictions of crows outside of any sporting restrictions, it is highly likely that junior ice hockey without crowds will be able to recommence prior the senior leagues which require crowds in attendance to be financially sustainable. It is considered likely that there will be a minimum 4 week period between the start of the junior ice hockey season and the start of the senior ice hockey season. l The current season start dates considered most likely are: l Juniors and Women's 1st September l Seniors 1st October