St. Albert’s hockey and soccer leagues were scrambling to set up training sessions Monday after the provincial government announced a last-minute tweak to its COVID relaunch plan.
Alberta Health announced Feb. 6 that youths 18 and under would be allowed to participate in lessons, practices, and training – but not games – for indoor and outdoor team sports starting Feb. 8.
The announcement came less than 48 hours before Step One of the province’s four-step framework for reducing COVID-19 health restrictions was to take effect. Originally, only school-related or one-on-one fitness activities were to be allowed under Step One, which kicked in Feb. 8.
Team sports have been banned in the province since late November under provincial health restricted related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new rules cap the number of youths training together at 10 (trainers included). Youths must maintain physical distancing at all times and wear masks except when engaged in physical activity. Coaches and trainers must always be masked. Access to change rooms must be restricted.
Sports shift to high gear
St. Albert Minor Hockey Association president Shauna Hudec said Saturday’s announcement was very much a surprise to her. Hockey Alberta had just cancelled league play on Feb. 2, and the board had been figuring out what it could still offer players under the rules for Phase One.
“We've all been put on high gear,” she said.
Complicating matters was the fact that the City of St. Albert had yet to reopen any of its indoor hockey rinks as of Feb. 8. Some coaches have booked time at rinks out of town as a result, Hudec said – the association would meet with city officials later this week to work out which local rinks would open.
“Obviously, with the limit of only nine players and one coach, we’re still very restricted on what can happen,” Hudec said, but she still hopes to give youths a chance to build skills on the ice.
In a bulletin issued Feb. 6, Hockey Alberta said Stage One practices allowed up to 10 people on the ice at once, one of whom must be a registered coach. Coaches were to enforce 3 m distances between players indoors and 2 m gaps outdoors, with pylons or other marks used to enforce distancing.
St. Albert Soccer Association executive director Chris Spaidal welcomed Saturday’s announcement, saying one-on-one training is more dangerous than group practice in soccer (as one-on-one allows for more close contact and more people on the field at once). While games are still banned, some soccer players could start indoor practice in St. Albert as early as Feb. 9.
The Alberta Soccer Association’s guide to Stage One requires practice groups to have at least two trainers and at most eight players, with groups and players required to stay three metres apart. Spectators cannot observe practices, and coaches cannot switch groups mid-practice.
Students were allowed to do performances and physical activities on or off school grounds as part of their schooling as of Feb. 8.
St. Albert school authorities were still working with city officials and sports groups as of Feb. 8 to see how Saturday’s announcements would affect students, said Greater St. Albert Catholic deputy superintendent Rhonda Nixon in an email. Sports academies hoped to start using city facilities later this month should there be enough space in them to allow for three metres of separation between students or cohorts. Performing arts classes would continue with virtual performances, and field trips would be limited wherever possible.
See www.alberta.ca/enhanced-public-health-measures.aspx for details on current COVID-19 health measures.
