It has finally happened – England Hockey has announced that stage 4 of its Return to Play Roadmap can begin. This is the next step along the road to returning to normal playing conditions and very welcome news as we approach the new season. As a club and section, we are working hard to ensure that everyone joining us for hockey sessions is safeguarded.

In order to protect our members, we must all adhere to some simple rules:

• Every player must sign the COVID consent form before their first training session back. This can be found on the England Hockey website (where there is plenty of further information) or directly by following this link.

• Every player must also now “check-in” whenever using any of our club pitches – the MUGA, Aylward and Southbury. This is done via a QR code which can be scanned at the entrance to each facility, and then it automatically opens a simple form in Teamo which allows you to confirm that you are symptom free and aware of the risks of participation. Information will be stored for 21 days, as per UK guidelines, where after, it will be permanently deleted.

• We are happy to announce that our MUGA training slots are no longer limited by numbers. We are still asking that groups keep to a maximum of 12 players on the playing area at any one time to allow for safe play and social distancing during and between training drills when possible. However, other players are welcome to take advantage of the space around the playing area to work on their fitness.

• As we go through these difficult times, we are asking players to take extra precautions when playing. This includes social distancing before and after sessions, not touching the balls with your hands or anyone else’s equipment. We also strongly suggest that you do not share lifts with any other player outside your household.

• After each session, we will be sanitizing the balls and cones using sanitizing spray. We also ask that every player cleans their kit and equipment and leaves them for a minimum of 72 hours. Although the club is working to ensure that hand sanitizing stations are in place, we also suggest that players carry their own hand sanitizer to use before and after sessions.

The attached infographic provides a nice summary of the current guidance. Keep watching for further information when we return to full pitch training and then matches. If you want any more information or have any questions, please contact our COVID Officer – Gemma Luckman at welfare.whehockey@gmail.com or go to the England hockey advice page.