NZ Football Announcement - COVID-19 Alert Level 2

At Alert Level 2 COVID-19 is contained in New Zealand but there is still risk of community transmission. 

This information is put in place to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus. Subject to these measures, and a move to Alert Level 2, football can return, although no earlier than 16 May for training and 30 May for competition as outlined by NZF on 9 April.

NZF will be publishing Return To Football Activity guidelines in the coming days once the timeline for moving Alert Levels is confirmed. This will provide more details on community football returning, including measures around contact tracing and use of club facilities. The information below is provided so that clubs can start thinking about the measures they need to put in place now ahead of more details
coming. 

Read the full guidance on sport at Alert Level 2 from Sport NZ at sportnz.org.nz

Contact tracing

• For football to resume, contact tracing must be in place for everyone involved in, or attending, any event. This means you should record the name, address, phone number, and email address of everyone attending, as well as the date and time of the event.
• To support contact tracing, all players, coaches and referees must be registered with COMET.
• Further advice, including how to record supporters, or anyone else involved in an event, will follow in our Return To Football Activity guidelines.
• Contact tracing information should be held securely and be accessible at all times.
• Information should be held for 4 weeks after the event has occurred.

Limited size of gathering

• Gatherings, either indoor or outdoor, are limited to 100 people.
• For a match this figure excludes players, officials or support staff.
• Where a number of pitches are in one large open area, multiple gatherings can take place as long as each remains independent, physically distant, and avoids mingling or interacting with each other.

Cleaning and hygiene

• All participants should wash and dry their hands before and after any activity.
• Equipment should be cleaned and disinfected before and after playing.
• Sharing of equipment should be minimised where possible.
• Participants should avoid touching their face and cough into their elbow.
• Caution should be exercised with common touch points (e.g. gates or doors) with hands washed or sanitised after using.
• Water bottles should not be shared under any circumstance.

Physical distancing

• It is understood that on the pitch physical distancing cannot be maintained.
• Off the pitch, all participants should maintain physical distancing of two metres whenever possible.

If unwell

• No one should be participating, or leaving home, if they are displaying symptoms of COVID-19, awaiting a test, or if required to self-isolate.

Where to get information 

New Zealand Football will continue to take advice from the NZ Government and Ministry of Health. 
•    NZ Government information hub - including health and travel advice 
•    Current advice for public events and mass gatherings - from the Ministry of Health 

Article added: Monday 11 May 2020