Dear Players, Parents and Carers,
Hawks 3 May announcement:
"Following on from the announcement made by the Premier we are now into Phase 3 of the return to basketball or ORANGE 24 on BWA's return to basketball . This means structured non-contact drills and scrimmaging and competitions are permitted with protocols in place."
"We are on track to commence our Junior Domestic Season on Friday 19th & Saturday 20th June for Under 12-Under 18's."
"As parents/ guardians/ spectators are not allowed during this phase, the Competition will commence with U12's- U18's only until Phase 4 is introduced, which we anticipate from mid- July, then we can bring in MiniBall & U10's from the 17th & 18th July."
At Bendat , even though it is a large venue, courts 3-8 are limited to 100 persons which means we can only utilise 4 of the 6 courts in that area - 24 per court x 4 = 96 plus courts 1 & 2 . This reduces our courts to 6 at BBC on Saturdays during this phase. We are waiting to hear from Lords whether our courts will be 3 or reduced to 2 during this 3 week phase of competition. With 20 minutes required between games we can only fit 10 times slots on a Saturday instead of 12.
This equates to around 2/3 capacity in the current ORANGE-24 limitations. https://basketballwa.asn.au/covid-19-return-to-sport-guidelines-information/
"We have been busily working through spreadsheets to see what teams/age groups we can fit and what teams will need to be on a bye during these first 3 weeks. We should be able to send to you later in the week, proposed court plan for age groups."
Under 8's
Sadly, Hawks have advised us that "Under 8's will not run for this season." I understand that this is due to both capacity and supervision requirements. "We may be looking at an Aussie Hoops type program in term 4 but it won't be Club based. It will again depend on court availability."
For year 2's, Hawks will refund $145 of the $150 that you paid. Please note that this is more than they received given they pay nearly 5% of the money to Sports TG. We will need you to email in your bank account details to our treasurer, Mark Lockyer, mjlocky@bigpond.com, so we can forward to Hawks for the refund.
You have also paid $100 to Raiders. We are currently looking into alternative options where we could provide some sort of season. I will provide advice on what we can offer in the next 1-2 weeks.
For year 1's, you have not paid money to Hawks, but you have paid $100 to Raiders. No competition can occur at present due to the fact that spectators are not permitted. As above, we are currently looking at options and will provide that advice as soon as we can. No competition could start until after July Holidays at the earliest.
Original Post
The great news is that training can start this week. There are multiple restrictions, so please adhere to everything that your coach and manager advise. I understand that many of the kids play at school.
The rules that Raiders must adhere are much stricter. Please follow them closely. From Saturday 6th June full contact training can resume, but until then social distancing remains important and scrimmages will NOT be permitted.
Please note the following: 1. NO spectators are allowed. No parents on school grounds until the school gives permission. I do not know when this will be. Some younger teams may choose not to train until this is possible. 2. Players MUST not wait at school for their training. There will be no change room access, so kids will have to go home, get changed and then return. Bathroom access will also be limited, so please plan ahead. 3. Under no circumstance can anyone who is unwell attend training. If anyone is diagnosed with COVID, I must be advised as soon as possible. All attendees at training will be logged so contact tracing can occur if needed (hopefully not needed). 4. Each venue has separate entry and exit points. Please familiarise yourself with these and ensure they are followed. The rules are get in, train, get out. 45 minutes goes very fast, so the players need to be ready to train as soon as they get there. The times for training will be shortened to enable the prior team to exit the venue before the next team comes. DO NOT turn up more than 5 minutes early. 5. Water Each player to bring their water bottle, clearly marked. Drink fountains will be off limits. No water bottle. No drinking. 6. Communication is the key. Please communicate with your coach, manager and each other on how to make this process smooth. Season commencement I am waiting for formal advice from Hawks. There are a number of hurdles for them to clear before being able to give a start date. Least of all is the venue that they use, but unfortunately do not run. Rest assured they are trying to get it all done as quickly as possible. I will forward further information when it comes to hand. Kind regards, and looking forward to basketball starting again. Richard Nolan
President NHR Raider Basketball Club