This plan will be useful to both students and coaches as they return to sport.

Current:

Get Ready: Plan for a return to training and playing. Put in place protocols and practices to meet health requirements including hygiene (washing of hands and sanitising of equipment), contact tracing, facility access and physical distancing. Copies of updated Coaches' Code of Conduct are to be distributed, signed and returned.

Next step:

Prepare to Play: Resume training, utilising the appropriate protocols and practices. NSO guidance around this, particularly in reducing the risk of injury for students, will be a valuable guide.

Return to Play: Return to play when it is safe to do so ensuring that any public health requirements, particularly for interschool resumption which will involve people from outside your school bubble, are in place.

GUIDANCE FOR COACHES

· Before you start ensure that you and the athletes are familiar with protocols around illness, group numbers, sanitisation of hands and equipment and that all have been registered for contact tracing. You will need to have this in place prior to starting. The protocols are in the Coaches' Code of Conduct. For any questions please check with your TiC or the Sports Coordinator.

· As a coach a return to sport needs to be about fun and playing again as much as possible rather than performance. We have to re-ignite a young person’s love for the game in those first few weeks back. It is as much about connection as it is about sport, so ensure everyone is connected and included in the sessions.

· Keep your expectations realistic as to where you believe your athletes should be at on their return. Speed, strength, power, movement, timing and decision making are all likely to not be at their peak so stay grounded around what levels of performance you can expect.

· Ensure that you warm up your athletes appropriately for some time prior to playing, raising a sweat. Use dynamic stretching and some sport specific movements. Students may not have been making those movements in the lockdown period and you may find their range of motion is not where it once was.

· On the first outing, organise a few fun routines or closed skills which are set so that students know what’s coming, with no surprises or unusual movements that the body is not quite ready for. Then progress onto playing the game as soon as is reasonable.

· Stay away from going for long runs and high intensity physical sessions as bodies need to readapt to the loads being placed on them just to even play.

· Keep the first few sessions shorter to medium term in length so as to avoid potential injuries and the inevitable cramp for young athletes.

· Bring energy to the session, in a positive way, encourage, encourage, encourage. Now is not the time for too much coaching/critical evaluation. There is plenty of time for that down the track.

· Connect and reflect at the end of the session, whilst staying socially distant. What was great about getting back to sport? What is one thing you did well today? Tell me about a time your helped out a team mate.

· Warm down appropriately in a fun way. There will be some tired and sore bodies over the next couple of days. Explain that this is normal and they will come right in a couple of days ready for the next sessions.

· Be aware that there is potential for some sports to have overlapping seasons. You must manage the volume/load of your athletes. Check in with them around other activities they are doing and encourage conversations with athletes around what else they are doing.

· Have fun yourself, remember why you coach and the positive impact you are having on these young lives.