Many teams in Eastern New York Youth Association will be able to start training on July 6 as long as their area is in at least Phase 3, the organization said Tuesday.
That should entail all of New York State by then. U.S. Soccer guidelines allow for small group training with a maximum of nine players and one coach who maintain social distancing.
On July 27, full team training will be allowed but squads still must maintain social distancing. Teams should allow three weeks for COVID-19 tracking purposes.
August 17 is the reboot date for games for local and single day competitions. Large events must be approved by the local government.
“After a tumultuous spring that has seen over 30,000 New Yorkers die from the virus, we are very happy that the number of illnesses and deaths here have decreased substantially and allow us to restart organized soccer,” ENYYSA president Richard Christiano said in a statement. “We’re very excited that kids will be able to be kids once again in enjoying the world’s most popular sport.”
Any organized soccer to be played from July 6 on is dependent on the necessary field permits being issued. The dates above that ENYYSA leagues, clubs and teams will be following adhere to the guidelines of New York State and U.S. Soccer.