| What is the process for submitting a medical exception for a player who cannot wear a mask during play? | Please obtain a note from the player’s doctor stating that the player cannot wear a mask during play. This note should not specify any additional medical information such as the reason for not being able to wear a mask. Provide a copy of the note to the player’s coach. |
| What happens if someone contracts COVID-19? | Affected individuals or parents should contact the COVID-19 Safety Officer by e-mail at hbonner@naticksoccer.org. The Safety Officer will contact the Natick DOH as well as MYSA. The DOH will provide the individual with instructions on what to do. All parties who have had close contact with the individual will be notified. The name of the affected individual will NOT be disclosed. All teams and individuals that came into close contact with the individual will have soccer activities suspended for 14 days. |
| Are masks required at all times? On the field? On the sidelines? | Yes, Masks are mandatory at all times. Players (and coaches) must wear face masks before, during and after their games and practices, including engagement in active play. Spectators are also required to wear masks at all times. (Excludes those with a written medical exemption.) |
| Does the Team COVID-19 Coordinator count towards the one spectator per player rule? | If the Team COVID-19 Coordinator is on the team’s side of the field, then they do not count towards the one spectator/player rule. If they are on the spectator’s side, then they do. |
| I thought the MYSA rules said that players had to be 10 feet distanced in order to take off masks during play? | Players must be 6 feet apart. MYSA’s current guidance is: “Face coverings must be worn when a player steps onto the playing field. During play when spacing is greater than 6 feet from another player a “mask break” to catch their breath may be taken. The default expectation is that face coverings will be worn. Players must properly wear their face covering at all times when on the sidelines and in any huddles except when 6 or more feet from another player for a “mask break” to catch their breath, drink or eat. If conditions are so severe as to warrant masks too dangerous to wear, the competition must be delayed, postponed or cancelled.” |
| If there are 12 kids per team, that’s 24 players. Why not allow 2 spectators per player? That would be 48. | Following the State’s rules, MYSA requires all member organizations to limit the number of spectators at all sanctioned soccer activities to One (1) per player. |
| If there are 25 spectators allowed per team, and there are only 12-13 kids on a team, that seems to leave opportunities for other family members to attend, is this true? | We are fortunate to be able have spectators at games and practices. There are 50 spectators permitted around a field surface. Following the State’s rules, MYSA requires all member organizations to limit the number of spectators at all sanctioned soccer activities to One (1) per player. |
| Practices are only one hour, and only 15 mins between slots. I love the idea of pre-setting up the field ahead of time, but we don’t have much time. Any tips there? Moreover, post-practice, do we need sanitize the equipment on the field as practice ends, or can we do that when we get home (to save a little extra practice time)? | We are asking coaches to consider ending practice a few minutes early to ensure their equipment can be collected and they can exit the field with enough time to allow the next coach to set up safely. You do not need to sanitize equipment on the field at the end of practice. You can sanitize equipment at home. |
| If the other team isn’t wearing masks once the game starts, what are we supposed to do? If the opposing coach shrug it off, do we pull the kids from the field? | It is BAYS, MYSA and Natick Soccer’s policies that masks are to be worn (covering mouth and nose) except for brief “mask breaks” or if a player has a medical exemption. We exepct all BAYS teams to follow this requirement as a matter of safety for players, coaches, referees, and spectators. Ultimate compliance with this requirement rests with the team Coaches and with the Team’s Covid Saftey Officer. With one exception below, Referees will only be enforcing the rules of the game; they will not be enforcing COVID safety requirements. Referees will check that all players are wearing a mask during the check-in prior to the game commencing. Coaches should indicate if they have any, and which, players have a medical exemption. The referees will not be asking for documentation on this; they will trust the Coach. Games will not/should not commence until all players are properly wearing masks or have an exemption. Once the game commences, we expect that the Coaches and Team Covid Saftey Officers will monitor the players on the field. If a player or players are not wearing their masks properly, we expect Coaches or Team Covid Saftey Officers to collaborate respectfully with each other to have players come into compliance. If a team takes no action to address an obvious mask violation (e.g. persistent wearing of mask below the chin), the other team’s Coach or Team Covid Saftey Officer should give them a heads up (second warning) that if action is not taken immediately to bring their team into compliance they believe the situation to be unsafe and plan on ending the game by removing their players from the field. If no action is taken, the Coach or COVID Safety Officer should end the game immediately. Ensure you notify the referee of the reasons the game was ended and the specific jersey numbers of the players in violation. The matter will ultimately be adjudicated by the respective BAYS Division Director. They could reach out to referees, Coaches or Team Covid Safety Officers for information so we recommend you document the situation for yourself immediately after the game. In the event that the mask policy violations are confirmed, the team in violation will be assigned a forfeit. |
| Do you expect that all other travel teams we play will also be required to wear masks? If not, how do we handle that? | Yes. See response above. |
| With no sharing of equipment during the games, how do we handle goalie gloves? I was given two pairs of gloves in my coach’s bag. Maximum of two goalies per game (one for each pair), gloves get cleaned/disinfected between games? In the younger ages where we swap goalies in and out, how do we manage? Do we try to stick to 2 goalies a game? | Goalie gloves need to be sanitized in between each use by different players. You can certainly rotate more than two goalies per game. Please use the PPE materials in your coaches’ bag to sanitize any equipment during a game. Players are also welcome to bring their own gloves. Coaches may wish to consider not using goalie gloves this season if they anticipate having a lot of goal keepers during a game. |
| What do we do about goalie jerseys? | Goalie jerseys are optional and are not specifically part of the NSC uniform kit. We would suggest using one pinnie per player. |
| Is the COVID coordinator needed during games only? | No, a COVID Team Coordinator who can execute on the outlined responsibilities is needed for games AND practices. Certain responsibilities may be share by two individuals (i.e. a parent at a game and an assistant coach during practice) if this approach is more practical. |
| Can the players remove masks during fitness drills at practice if at least 6 ft apart? | No, masks must be worn during drills and scrimmages. Mask breaks are permitted. Players may briefly remove the mask to “catch their breath” during play. When spacing between players is greater than 6 ft, athletes may momentarily take a brief (e.g. 5-10 seconds) mask break. |
| So only 1 spectator per player at games. Can we say that practice is closed, no spectators allowed? If a parent plans to stick around can we tell them they have to wait in their car? | Yes, you can run closed practices and ask parent to drop off and/or wait in their cars. |
| Is there a limit to how many coaches can be on the line? | There is no limit to the number of coaches that may be listed on the roster. For Fall 2020, we are capping the number of coaches that can be on the team’s side line for a game at two. |
| Was there a link to recommended physically distanced practice activities? | https://www.mayouthsoccer.org/physical-distancing-session-plans/ |
| Are parents getting email blasts informing them of these changes? Eg. No congregating or 1 perosn limits. Or is everything coming from us coaches? | Families did receive an initial email communicating guidelines and referencing the Parents Guide on our COVID-19 landing page. Regardless, we encourage you to hold a parents meeting where you reiterate and share safety protocol at the beginning of the season. |
| Are we supplying our own pinnies for each player, or are those coming from the league? I’m a 3/4 grade coach and they were not in my equipment bag. | In general, if pinnies are used they should not ever be shared amongst players during a practice or game. One player, one pinnie, then wash and sanitize before reuse. For our intramural teams, we suggest asking players to wear their uniform jerseys to practice. For travel teams, we recommend you have your players bring 2 different colored shirts (specified by you in advance) to practice and save your pinnies for games where a jersey color conflict exists and you are the home team that needs to change. |
| If the ball goes out of bounds, can the kids pick it up and bring it to the line to kick it in? First graders, I assume, are going to do this all of the time. | No, the player should not be picking up balls. At any time a ball is to be placed for a restart the ball should not be touched with a player or an official’s hands. The ball should be placed where the restart will take place with one’s foot. If hands are used the ball will need to be removed from play and sanitized. This also applies to all pieces of equipment – ball bags, cones, gloves. Only coaches should handle these after ensuring they are sanitized. |
| Can you expand on the medical exception/exemption list or provide guidance to the list? | If a player is unable to wear a mask due to preexisting condition, they must obtain a note from their doctor stating this exemption and provide it to their coach. Coaches should not enquire as to the reasons why the exemption is needed. Similarly, the medical exemption documentation should not specify the reason why the exemptionis needed. Coaches should reach out to the Board members with any concerns. |
| Are spectators required to wear masks even if socially distant? | Yes, spectators are required to wear masks at all times, even when socially distanced. Team COVID Safety Officers will be monitoring this and ensuring compliance. |
| Wondering about the 25 participants max (players and coaches) on the field with 11v11. If 11 players + head coach + asst = 13 x 2 = 26. So no subs? | MYSA’s capacity rules permit no more than 25 players on any surface/playing area. Players are defined as any person on the official team roster and who are actively on the field of play. Subs on the sideline of an 11v11 game do not contribute to the 25 participant max. |
| If parents volunteer to prepare individually wrapped and labeled half time snacks for the players, is that permitted? | No, similar to MYSA’s equipment rules, there should be no sharing of any food, water or half-time snacks this season. Players are certainly encouraged to bring their own half time snack. |