I trust that you are all now aware of the good news that Volleyball England has gained approval from the government for the return of volleyball for both training and indoor match competition, albeit with a number of limitations. This is one of the key steps in our plan to set up the SW leagues for the coming 2020/21 season.
I have set up a Goto Meeting session for next Monday (24th 7-8pm) where those that are interested can get together and discuss the issues below and add any new ones!
• Venues – we are hearing of issues from some clubs in knowing when or if they can get access to their usual venues
• Transport to away matches – government guidance limits the amount of car sharing to 3 or 4 per vehicle depending on size and other mitigation, which may make it difficult for teams to travel (having the windows open in the winter is not going to be a practical option!)
There are other limitations which will affect teams and match day protocols. Not all of these are confirmed and at the moment are just a list to promote discussion, more may be added as NVL guidelines are firmed up.
• Electronic/squeezy whistles (mouth blown whistles must not be used) – this is a regulation for this season and all teams MUST have their own whistles to officiate the match
• With a limit of 30 people in a playing area and 3 teams at a triangular this implies the fair division is that all teams are limited to a maximum of 10 people who can be courtside during a match.
• Each court must have a Covid 19 officer, practically this should be provided by the home team as they understand the venue specific restrictions. This person will need to collect the names and contact details of all people in the playing area and maintain for 21 days for track and trace, with the officers name and contact details given to each away team.
• Venue specific instructions and local risk assessment will need to be included in the match confirmation by the home team
• No shared food (which includes the usual hospitality provided by the home team) – each person must provide their own food and drink
• Potential to reduce the set interval from 3 to 2 minutes to allow for the additional sanitization breaks (at 15 Points).
• Face masks – VE are looking into whether officials and bench personnel should be wearing masks
• NVL will not have line judges, but as they come from the non-playing team should we still use line judges at triangular matches?
• Should teams change ends?
• Do we need to have 3 separate team bench areas (which would imply that one team will be on the opposite side of the court)?
I am sure that there are other items that are going to come up as well as we get closer to starting the season.
Rachel Swindell
Rachel.Swindell@Network100.co.uk
