Club soccer slowly returns in some states
Despite a concern (or perhaps a reality) about a second wave of outbreaks from COVID-19, there has been some recent news regarding youth club soccer returning to the fields in the coming weeks and month.
Different parts of the country are in different phases of reopening or allowing outdoor activities, so please consult with your local state guidelines before blindly following the calendar laid out by another state in the return to play process.
California has begun the process to get back on the field recently with club teams beginning to practice under the Phase One - small group - guidelines that U.S. Soccer has laid out in Play On.
We’re excited to start Phase 1 of our back to training activities during these unprecedented times. The well being of our players is of the utmost importance, so all health and protocol precautions will be taken to ensure their safety. Welcome back! We’ve missed you. 💙 pic.twitter.com/mWHfZMQD3B
— Real So Cal (@_RealSoCal) June 26, 2020
Phase One is small group training with minimal interaction. U.S. Soccer recommends one coach for every nine players in this phase of the return to play guidelines.
Eastern New York has put together a schedule for getting back on the field over the course of the next two months. Clubs can resume small group training on July 6, and full training can return on July 27. Eastern New York is targeting August 17 for the return of local competition. Eastern New York’s State Association serves more than 100,000 players.
On the tournament side of things, summer tournaments took a big hit with NCAA’s recent decision to push back the recruiting dead period into September.
Surf Cup confirmed the older age group has been moved to Labor Day weekend (Sept. 5-7) in response to the NCAA’s decision. With the announcement of the new dates, Surf Cup also laid out plans of an innovative database accessible to college coaches so they can have view game film even if they do not attend, which should be a big help to recruiting at the event.
Also, the Manchester City Cup has been canceled given the inability for international travel in the near future. The Manchester City Cup, one of the best youth soccer tournaments in the Spring, was scheduled for April, but then pushed back to Labor Day Weekend. Surf Cup is the operator for both events with the former being a bigger draw than the latter.
Jefferson Cup appears to be pushing forward with the new dates in August (August 1-3 for the older boys and girls teams) despite the NCAA recruiting dead period. The deadline for applying to Jefferson Cup was July 1.
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