What you can do from 12th April

Guidance from Sport England The government has confirmed that we’ll move to Step 2 on Monday 12 April. These frequently asked questions have been developed in line with the government sport-specific guidance. They’re intended to support you in your work in preparing to restart and to understand what the government guidance means for you.   Are indoor sports facilities allowed to open? Yes. Indoor facilities are allowed to open for individual / household use only from Step 2. This includes, but is not limited to, facilities such as:

• Gyms and leisure centres
• Indoor sport courts and pitches
• Swimming pools
• Fitness studios
• Multi-sport facilities (such as climbing walls, driving ranges, archery venues and indoor skate parks and snow sport facilities)

Facilities should open in line with the government’s Sport Facility guidance, for example, the maximum occupancy of an indoor facility must allow a minimum of 100 square feet (9.3 square metres) per person Facilities which can be used for sport but are primarily used for leisure (such as trampoline parks, bowling alleys and ice rinks) or which provide physical activity which is not a recognised sport (such as airsoft venues) should not open in Step 2 unless for indoor children’s activity.   Can indoor sport and physical activity take place? Yes, but what’s permitted differs for adults and children. Adults: Indoor sport and physical activity can only take place for individuals or single households. This means that group sessions and exercise classes, and indoor sports/activities that require more than one person (for example, badminton, bowls etc.), cannot take place unless you’re playing with someone from within your household/support bubble. Children: Children will be able to attend organised indoor children’s activity, including sport permitted in Step 2. Organised indoor children’s sport and physical activity must be formally organised by a qualified instructor, club, national governing body, company or charity and follow sport-specific guidance where appropriate. Children’s indoor sport and physical activity sessions must be done in groups of 15, in line with guidance from the Department for Education and out of school setting guidance. Parent and child: These activities can take place indoors and outdoors with a limit of 15 attendees. Children under the age of five do not count towards the attendee limit.   Are personal training sessions allowed indoors? Yes, personal training sessions can take place indoors one to one or for one household. Personal training cannot take place indoors in people’s homes in Step 2, unless the premises are classified as a business premises. Anyone acting in a workforce capacity (for example volunteers, match officials, coaches and instructors) are exempt from the rules on gathering, however, they must remain socially distanced from players where possible during play/activity. For more information on personal training sessions please see CIMSPA advice UKActive advice on their respective websites.   Do I need to wear a facemask when taking part in sport and physical activity indoors? You don’t need to wear a face covering while exercising, but you should wear a face covering at all other times when at an indoor sports facility. Match officials, medics and coaches are also not required to wear face coverings while present in a work or volunteering capacity. However, those coaching combat sports should follow their national governing body’s combat sport framework action plan, which may specify that you need to wear a facemask. This is to mitigate the closer contact elements of the activity.   How many people can take part in outdoor personal training/coaching sessions? Outdoor personal training and coaching sessions are classed as organised outdoor sport, and can take place where it’s formally organised and follows Covid-secure guidance. It can take place in outdoor spaces, including people’s gardens. Outdoor organised sport and physical activity is permitted in larger numbers and is exempt from the legal gathering limits, as long as it’s undertaken in line with Covid-secure guidance and follows sport-specific guidance where appropriate. For more information on personal training sessions please see CIMSPA advice UKActive advice on their respective websites.   Are sports facilities that sell food and drink allowed to open? Sport providers and participants can use clubhouses and hospitality facilities in line with government guidance on hospitality settings and specific advice for sport facility operators available on the government’s website. People using clubhouses and hospitality facilities must adhere to legal gathering limits and wider government guidance.   Are spectators allowed? Spectators aren’t permitted to attend sporting events taking place on private land. This doesn’t apply to carers for disabled people or adults needed to supervise under-18s that they have a responsibility for in a safeguarding role whilst they’re participating in an organised sporting activity. Where it’s necessary for them to be present, supervising adults shouldn’t mix with others from outside their household or support bubble. More information on safeguarding and return to play can be seen here. This doesn’t prevent people from viewing recreational or organised sport that’s taking place in a public space, e.g. a park, in groups of up to six people or two households. However, spectators shouldn’t be actively encouraged for sporting activities taking part in public spaces. Sporting events that are intended to attract spectators, including ticketed events, or events that are likely to attract a significant number of spectators, e.g. a major marathon, shouldn’t take place in a public space, or on private land, until Step 3.

• Public spaces include, but aren’t limited to:
• parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
• public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
• the grounds of a heritage site

  What activities can disabled people take part in? Organised outdoor and indoor sport can only take place where it follows the government’s guidance on recreational team sport and grassroots sport and leisure activity that is available on the government’s website. This also includes group activities, such as organised walks. National governing bodies providing sport formats for disabled people will set out how they can deliver this provision in line with existing guidance on social distancing and Covid-secure measures. There’s no limit on numbers, however, government guidance on organised sport must be followed.   For the full list of frequently asked questions please see the Sport England website. Sport-specific guidance will also be updated ahead of Step 2, and we’ll continue to work with the government to add further information on the next steps in its roadmap as we get further clarity. Please check with your local providers and sports centres for their individual guidance and indoor rules.