Hello to all of our players, coaches, and families- we hope you are all healthy and well in these difficult times.
We finally have some “hard” information for all of you, regarding Summer Camp, Fall Season, Summer Programs, etc. I apologize for the length of this message, but we want to share everything transparently, and there is a lot to share.
Over the last few weeks, the Club Officers and Staff have been discussing the situation and assessing options. We have been involved in virtual meetings with EPYSA Intramural management team, other EPYSA Recreational Leagues, round tables with many of the other area clubs, and we had a full PVSC Board meeting a few nights ago.
A few days ago, the EPYSA finally issued some firm guidance related to a return to play. Most of you should have received it, if not please follow the links on this page.In brief, once a County is declared green, a very limited return to training is permitted. This is oriented towards resuming training for high level teams, with no scrimmages, groups, games, league play ( that would include our Intramural League) and a number of other restrictions and guidance.
In the same communication, EPYSA provided their Return to Play Guidelines, which I have also attached. In brief, this sets forth best practices for maintaining social distance, etc for return to play. Some of the highlights include limits on parents/spectators, wearing of masks by players, coaches, and refs, although it looks like players may remove their masks while actually on the field, sanitizing balls, goals, flags, etc and so on. It appears we should provide masks, hand sanitizers, individual , personal , training equipment for all children etc. There is a requirement for non-specified training of staff. There is also specific guidance on what constitutes “sanctioned “ play which can also be read as insured play.
A few days ago, the CDC released their guidance for camps and youth programs, also links on this page. It sets basic safety protocols, such as screening players and coaches on arrival to the field, staff training, 6 foot distancing, monitoring attendance, providing hand washing facilities, etc.It is well worth a look at the CDC document, it is in a decision tree format, and is actually a very good tool
Currently, Limerick Community Park is closed to all group use until September 1, Water Works and Palmer Park are closed to group rentals until further notice, and all PVSD fields are closed until further notice.
Montgomery County will be entering the yellow phase on June 5th, which will still carry a group size restriction of 25 people, and youth sports are still prohibited.
The State is allowing camps to open statewide in the yellow phase, and seems to permit “soccer camps” but excludes “team sports” until the green phase That is about as clear as mud.
It seems that the intent of the camps rule is to facilitate child care as people return to work. We have provided a link to this document.
To further confuse things, Montgomery County has issued guidance that some non-contact sports ( baseball) may resume practice, however this does not apply to Soccer.
There is no date for the green phase. It is important to note that no youth soccer activities are permitted until Montgomery County enters the green phase, both by County and EPYSA guidance
Further, the EPYSA guidelines add a further “Phase Out” before a full return to League Play. This is not defined as of yet, but will occur after the PA green phase.
PIAA is still considering what will happen with school sports. PVSD Superintendent Barbara Russel touched on this in her talk the other night.
This will be a factor for Fall, it is hard to see how we can offer sports programs on School fields if the District rules against team Sports.
In discussion with our friends among the club membership there seems to be a wide range of opinions as to whether they will want to play a contact sport this fall.
No one has a crystal ball, and the situation is changing almost daily, however we have made some decisions regarding programming after weighing these and other factors.
We will not be able to run a Summer Camp program this year. Regardless of the loophole in the rulings, we could not meet all of the various requirements, and we do not have a sanctioned field to run the program.
If and when fields open, the County turns green, and all of the various requirements can be met, we will consider allowing some of the older teams ( SCSL) to resume training. We guess this might occur by July or early August, but there are again a lot of factors involved , and that is only a guess.
Similarly, and on the same timeline, we hope we might be able to reopen our drop in “Soccer Sundays” at Palmer Park late this Summer
At this point we are recognizing that we probably will be able to run our traditional Fall Intramural programs the way we always have . I hate the phrase “new normal” but we will have to change the way we do youth soccer- We typically fill Limerick Park with well over a thousand people across an average Sunday. 400 or 500 players and a couple of parents and sibs really adds up quick! At any one time we are usually in the 400+ range at the fields, and that would exceed current guidelines. We have discussed a lot of options, some of the best ones are:
Assigning different days or time slots for various age groups
Encouraging a community or neighborhood group model, especially for the peewee age children- If 6 or 8 kids live in a community, attend the same day care, and are already a peer group lets make them a team
Further distance on the fields, and smaller team sizes- this means we will need a lot more volunteers
Exploring use of multiple facilities-
And many other ideas, some good ones and some far-fetched.
We are not going to open registration for Fall Soccer at this time. We cannot, in good faith, ask anyone to pay for a program we cannot guarantee or even fully describe. We know that some other area clubs are aggressively marketing their programs, and promising the sun, the moon and the stars. If we are able to run a Fall program, in good conscience,in full conformance with all applicable guidelines and keeping the safety of our players and families first, then we will. And if we can’t, then we won’t. We will update everyone as more information becomes available, hopefully by early July.
Regarding Spring Registrations, the first thing I want to say is “Thank You” At the point that we cancelled, we had already paid field rentals, insurances, bought uniforms, paid State fees, etc. We offered refunds to anyone who needed them and offered to let them stay on account to pay for the Fall season. It is amazing that out of 478 registered players, most elected to let their registration fee ride until Fall. We understand times are hard, and some of you may need to ask for a refund- If you do, please send a separate email to “ [email protected] “ with the subject line “refund request”
We are also in the process of generating a survey, with a lot of questions regarding how we will do Fall soccer-hopefully it will get out the door in a few days- Please take a few minutes and reply, it helps us know how to best serve the Club.
As a Club, we have always emphasized that Soccer is a game, being played by children. And if we cannot guarantee the health and safety of your entire family at our events and programs, we believe that we are better off waiting until we can. Our Board and Staff are passionate about the game, and the Club, but we are also members of the same community, and it seems clear that a children's game should not put those children and their families at risk. These are hard decisions, in difficult times, but we believe they are the correct ones
Kevin Mac Donald, President
Anthony Pietrak, Vice-President, Donovan Augustin, Treasurer, Field Marshal, Susan Casazza, Secretary
Robert DeFinis, DOC * Laura Yerges Armstrong, Safety Officer * Jason Armstrong, Risk Mngmt Jen Wolk, SCSL * Alex Pecora, Special Programs
Board of Directors: Leon Kanopka * Steven Young * Bob McCabe * Kim Paulus, Board * Will Gray * George Gray, Chair