Clarification on Training Groups of 8

February 5, 2021

Re: Clarification on Training Groups of 8

Attention: All Team Personnel:

Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan - Sports and Activities Guidelines - Conditioning, Training and Individual Competition:

Athletes and performers 18 years of age and under may continue conditioning and skills training in groups of eight or fewer, abiding by the required mask use and at least three metres of physical distancing between participants at all times.

• Individual groups of eight may not share a training/rehearsal surface or space at the same time.
• Coaches /trainers are not included in the training group numbers as long as they are masked and maintain a minimum physical distance of three metres.

Further to the above stated Government of Saskatchewan Sports Guidelines, the SYSI office would like to further clarify the rule pertaining to training groups of 8 and the restriction of rotating/subbing of players with all team personnel to ensure everyone has received this important clarification.

On January 13, SYSI and SSA shared a communication with all Zone Technical Directors that the Business Response Team (BRT) confirmed that rotating participants or subbing in is not allowed as it must continually be the same group of 8 for the entire training during a specified time. As soon as an additional player(s) beyond the initial 8 players rotates onto the field the group size increases which would be breaking the current health order.

If a team has more than 8 players on their roster, teams will need to work out a schedule assigning which players are to attend which practice.  Example players 1-8 attend the first scheduled practice and player 9 and 10 and 1-6 would attend the second scheduled practice within their team schedule. Alternatively, for training times scheduled on a full hour quarter field, a team could split their hour practice into two 30 min training sessions and assign 8 players to each 30 min training session. At no time shall there be more than 8 players training at a practice within a specified training duration. Having additional players rotate or sub on and off from the bench, sidelines, adjacent field, or other is not permitted. 

Warning: Any Zone found to have team(s) in breach of not following the above government health order may face fines or suspensions to coaching staff and association personnel of the offending team(s). 

Everyone's priority shall be to cooperate with the government health order and continue to do everything possible to keep kids on the pitch.

Sincerely,


Saskatoon Youth Soccer Inc.