The most recent government announcement on May 28th made it possible, from June 1st, to move to stage B. Here six individuals from different households may now meet up and engage in individual training. The two metre social distancing rule still applies and if a coach is involved they are part of the group of six. Equipment sharing (including balls) should be kept to a minimum and strong hand hygiene practice should be in place before and after. As physical contact with anyone outside of your house is currently not permitted, playing of any games (small sided or full) is also not permitted at this time. Parents/carers observing a session at a distance from a safeguarding perspective is permitted, without them being part of the participating group. While permissible for multiple small groups to be engaged in training at the same site, clubs must risk assess this properly and ensure that safe and adequate distancing between groups is strictly observed. This will be dependent on the activity being undertaken, however the RFU’s guidance would be that no more than one group should be active on each quarter of any pitch.
It is possible that we may remain at stage B for a while with potential amendments coming within the stage to reflect any revised government position. This could include, for example, an enlargement of the number of people permitted.