Consistent with overall AYSO philosophy, our focus is to provide a safe environment for children to develop their social, emotional and soccer skills. There are no current local/state/federal directives restricting outdoor activities. We will follow any new health directives and update this guidance as needed.
Our guiding principles are to
Follow the current County/State/Federal directives
Keep our guidance updated as needed and communicate to players, coaches, referees and families
Participation Policy:
Any players, coaches, spectators who have been exposed to Covid, tested positive, have a temperature > 100.4, or have symptoms (see the CDC symptom list below) will not be allowed to participate until cleared by the AYSO board (see below). https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
Masking:
Wearing a face mask is strongly encouraged and recommended for players and coaches at all times in games and in practice/training sessions
Coaches will not ask players to mask and will not ask players to remove masks; except in the unlikely possibility of an immediate and urgent safety issue
We recommend that all volunteers and eligible players be vaccinated against COVID; the mask recommendation applies regardless of vaccination status* note: referees will not engage in mask recommendations as mask wearing is NOT a policy
Social Distancing
Coaches will make reasonable efforts to keep players physically distanced as much as possible (e.g., during training exercises, when not active on the field, during team discussions/huddles at training and games, at halftime, etc.) We recognize that in some cases (particularly during games) this may not be possible.
Hygiene
As with masking, we recommend that volunteers and players make responsible hygiene choices (e.g., washing hands before and after training). Coaches will not be asked to manage, carry or deal with hand sanitizing or other personal hygiene decisions
Please bring your own hand sanitizer
Players will not share water bottles; families are expected to provide water for their own children at both practices and games
Any team snacks should be individually packaged
We also wanted to take a moment to share the steps we plan to take in case of exposure with an individual known to have Covid-19 or if one of our players or coaches contracts Covid-19 themselves.
If a coach is required to quarantine for any reason related to Covid-19, efforts will be made to find a substitute coach.
If you are asked by your school district or another organization to quarantine, you will not be allowed to participate in any Hillsborough AYSO activities until your quarantine is over.
For teams that participate in Area Play, you are required to follow the Covid-19 policy of the home team to the extent that policy is more restrictive than that of Hillsborough AYSO. Coaches should communicate at least 5 days in advance to the home team to inquire about the policy.
In all cases, information about a person’s health, contact, and test status will be held in strict confidence by the board and/or coaching staff.