We hope that you have all been staying safe and healthy throughout this time. As life begins to adjust to the new normal, the Easts Committee are currently planning on a roadmap/action plan to get our athletes, who are itching to return to volleyball, back on the court. This process will see the gradual resumption of our programs with policies and guidelines to ensure that our community stays safe and that we follow the directives set out by the Queensland Government.

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Returning to Training and Considerations

The Queensland Government has advised a broad set of guidelines for the return to sport last week which are being reviewed on a daily basis. 

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As it currently stands, Queensland is in Stage 1 of the guidelines, where no indoor activity is allowed. By mid-next month, Queensland will advise whether the state will enter stage 2, which would allow for the resumption of indoor sports for up to 20 participants. Although volleyball is considered a non-contact sport, it is not without its risks.

 

The nature of volleyball requires athletes to share close proximity to each other on court as well as sharing contact with the same ball for an extended period of time. While it may be feasible to conduct a training with a separation of 1.5m, it is not a practical one. The Australian Institute of Sport Framework has outlined that the risk is minimal, so long as outside a drill or activity, 1.5m social distancing is observed. Below is a condensed version of our return to sport framework (Easts’ COVID-19 Action Plan) for your consideration; our full report will be released later on TeamApp and on our website.

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1. All athletes are to bring their own water bottles to training, there will be no sharing of water-bottles between athletes

2. It is recommended that there is no unnecessary body contact (eg: shaking hands, high-fives, hugs, etc)

3. There are to be no spectators at training, and the venue hall be only accessible be essential persons only (staff, coaches, athletes)

4. Athletes are only allowed to train in the squad that they have been selected in

5. We will also be following the ‘Get In, Train, Get Out’ policy released by the AIS. Athletes are not to arrive more than 15 minutes before the start of each session, and are where possible, to leave within 10 minutes of the end of training

6. There will be only one entry point and one exit point at each venue. Hand sanitiser will be provided at the entry of the venue as well as on each court

7. Attendance of all athletes will be recorded at each session to aid in contact-tracing should any athlete/coach/member of Easts test positive for COVID-19 at any time.​​​​

a.  We will need you to RSVP via TeamApp each training so we can keep an accurate record of each athlete

b.  All athletes are now required to have a TeamApp profile (separate from parent's profile)

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In addition to these procedures, the training schedule will have to be modified in order to meet the requirements. This schedule as well as an updated squad list are set to be released by the program coordinators shortly this month. The plan is to resume our trainings for senior athletes (D1/D2) starting on 15 June, and our junior athletes (U15/17/19) approximately in late July/early August. Once the schedule is released, if you cannot make a scheduled time, please let us know through the following contacts:

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MENS PROGRAM: Todd Kropp and Nathan Dang

WOMENS PROGRAM: Trevor Hunter

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We ask that you consider and decide on whether you wish to return to training and understand that potential risks which may be involved with the resumption of sport. We understand that your circumstances may change over time and your decision along with it; please be assured that if you choose not to attend training sessions, this will not impact your selection at Easts Volleyball.

 

Could you please let your program coordinators (Mens - Todd/Nathan, Women - Trevor) know by Tuesday 2 June of whether or not you can attend the training sessions? If a reply has not been received, it is assumed that you are not able to attend. Please use the subject line ’PVL Trainings - [Athlete Name]’ as your reply. Should your circumstance change after your reply, you can change your attendance in TeamApp. If you are sick or have any flu-like symptoms, DO NOT attend training.

 

On a similar note, the Queensland Government has announced that they will be providing FairPlay vouchers to families impacted by COVID-19 in an effort to get children back to sport. To find out more on this, visit https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/fairplay/apply

 

Please also understand that the current guideline and plans have been created with the current government advice as well as information released from Volleyball Queensland on 22 May and is subject to change. We will update you as soon as there has been any change to the current situation. Thank you again for your patience, as always, please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or concerns. We hope to see you on the courts shortly.

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This message was also sent via email and on TeamApp - please let us know if you did not receive this through those channels.

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References/Further Reading:

The Australian Institute of Sport, (2020), Australian Institute of Sport Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 Environment (page 16), Australian Government. Retrieved from: https://ais.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/730376/35845_AIS-Framework-for-rebooting-sport_FA.pdf

 

Queensland Government (2020), Return to Play: Guide for Queensland Sport, Recreation and Fitness Industries, The Queensland Government.

Retrieved from: https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0026/127943/return-to-play-guide.pdf

 

QLD Govt Sport Framework: www.covid19.qld.gov.au/government-actions/roadmap-to-easing-queenslands-restrictions/sport/clubs-organisations

QLD Government Roadmap: www.covid19.qld.gov.au/government-actions/roadmap-to-easing-queenslands-restrictions

VQ Working Calendar: https://www.vq.org.au/2020-working-calendar/

Latest VQ PVL Calendar (v6): https://www.vq.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/PVL-2020-Calendar-v6.pdf

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Easts Volleyball Club Committee