As of March 13, 2020
Natick Soccer Club (NSC) is committed to the health and well-being of its players, coaches, referees, and families. Like many of you, NSC is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and while our season does not begin for another month, we are preparing to institute some changes immediately per guidance from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), Mass. Dept. of Health, and the Mass. Youth Soccer Association (MYSA).
At this time, the spring season has been delayed per MYSA guidance. Spring program dates can be found on our home page. However, we will continue to monitor the situation and provide additional communication and updates to our programming if necessary.
Finally, Natick Soccer Club does not have any permitted use of any practice facilities (indoor or outdoors) at this time. Coaches should not be holding Natick Soccer practices or team gatherings until further notice.
For the spring season, the following changes will take place immediately:
- From the CDC. While the chance of exposure is very low, we encourage everyone to practice proper CDC hygiene procedures on and off the field, including:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. And avoid handshakes.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or into your elbow.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers if soap and water are not available.
- From Mass Youth Soccer Association (MYSA):
- Teams must forgo high fives and handshakes between themselves, opposing teams and officials during and after competitions. Foot taps or elbow bumps are becoming common, so we encourage their use as an alternative.
- From Natick Soccer Club (NSC):
- Coaches should be understanding of family decisions around Coronavirus (i.e. not wanting their children to participate in indoor team events, etc.). Coaches and parents should have open, continuous communication around this matter.
- Please discourage players from sharing water bottles.
- We ask that player uniforms and pinnies used in practice be washed after every wear.
Please refer to these resources for additional information:
- Center for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
- Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association (MYSA): https://www.mayouthsoccer.org/
- World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
- Massachusetts Department of Health: https://www.mass.gov/guides/information-on-the-outbreak-of-2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19
These policies will be in effect until further notice. As always, thank you for your cooperation and continued support. We encourage everyone to following these guidelines and stay safe.
Natick Soccer Club