England Hockey are very much looking forward to a return for our sport. In line with the Government’s latest roadmap: Step 1 permits organised outdoor sports from 29 March.
The detailed guidance that will come from DCMS will outline what is permitted for outdoor team sports and facilities. It is this information we require in order to create our hockey specific guidelines. This is the content we can share with our participants to support returning with confidence in the knowledge that what you are planning and doing is supported and permitted.
With all that is going on in Government presently, we do not expect to have sight of all the guidance for at least two more weeks. We recognise that this makes it difficult to plan in detail for clubs and hockey organisers and therefore this update is aimed to give the best steer we can at this stage.
At England Hockey we are very keen that hockey returns but in a way that recognises the gap there has been since we were last able to play. Individuals will have faced different challenges through the last two lockdowns and confidence to return to play will vary amongst players, coaches and volunteers. On this basis we expect hockey to only be held within clubs or locally in the first instance and until at least the 12 April in line with the wider government guidance.
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