Wales Netball
July 9, 2020
On Thursday 9 July, Welsh Netball published its ‘Return to Play’ roadmap for community netball, detailing how a phased return to netball will look as the Welsh Government continues to ease COVID-19 restrictions.
The roadmap consists of six phases and netball is currently in the the first of these phases. On the roadmap (shown below) we detail what each phase of netball’s return could look like and what kinds of activity may be permitted during each phase.
We have consulted with Welsh Government, Sport Wales, the International Netball Federation and our colleagues at the other UK national governing bodies for netball in producing this framework. We will be following the rules and guidance of both the Welsh Government and medical professionals in deciding when we can move into the next phases of this journey. This will be in line with the Welsh Government’s three-weekly review of COVID-19 restrictions in Wales.
We understand that there are a lot of women and girls across Wales who are keen to get back to netball. We also know that there are many out there who are anxious about the resumption of the sport. Rest assured, we will continue to listen to our membership and work closely with colleagues in the sport sector to make sure that netball returns only when it is safe to do so.
It must be remembered that our phased return to play can move in both directions. If the Welsh Government has to re-impose restrictions in the unfortunate event of a ‘second wave’ of COVID-19 then we may need to move back into earlier phases on our netball roadmap. It will be vital at all stages of the journey that participants, clubs and leagues are vigilant and adhere to the best practice guidelines we will provide them with. Please note, the return to elite netball for our performance squads will run along a different timeline and this is in line with Welsh Government guidance for elite sport.
Accompanying our return to netball roadmap, below there is a download link to a FAQ document to assist your understanding. Along with this, we will also be developing additional resources and support services for our members and stakeholders to support the safe return to netball for all, when it is right to do so.
Click here to download the Frequently Asked Questions document.
In the current phase of restrictions, individual netball activity with members of the household or members of one other household are permitted – outside only. We have produced the guidelines below to assist the netball community in enjoying individual activity safely and in line with government guidelines.
Any questions regarding Welsh Netball’s ‘Return to Play’ roadmap should be directed via email to WelshNetball@walesnetball.com
