The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has updated its Guidance for Cricket Indoors.
The latest update is aligned to the government advice as it stands on 7 December 2020 and includes the following principal differences:
a. The definition of U18 now includes those who were U18 on 31 August 2020, meaning that this now aligns with normal understanding of age groups in sport.
b. Coaches and match officials are not included in the count for group size restrictions.
c. Travel into and out of Tier 3 areas is now permitted for U18, disability sport and elite sport but journeys should be minimised in terms of distance and frequency.
d. There are no group size restrictions on U18s (up to a safe limit for a venue to be determined by local risk assessment including social distancing and ventilation).
e. Sport for the purpose of education is exempt from gathering limits, so can take place in any number. This means that school sport such as PE, and curriculum-related sport for students in further and higher education (e.g. a student studying a sport course being able to practice), are exempt from legal gathering limits. However, this doesn’t cover extra-curricular sport (such as playing for a college team). Sport for U18s (including those were under 18 on 31 August 2020) is exempt, so extra-curricular clubs for U18s can continue in any number. However, this doesn’t apply to pupils over the age of 18, so extra-curricular clubs for over-18s (including college and university teams) can only play in line with the wider sport guidance.
Venues, Coaching Providers, Clubs and Participants
Venues, coaching providers, clubs and participants should review the updated guidance and adapt their COVID risk assessments, control measures and plans accordingly. This should be communicated to staff, visitors, participants and their parents and carers.
Supporting Documents
Updated advice for England: Checklists for venue operators and coaching providers and clubs and a risk assessment template are all available.
All of these documents can also be accessed in the ECB Resource Hub here. A reminder to create an account if you have not done so already.