Plan revealed for the return of community rugby league

The Rugby Football League (RFL) has published its return to play plan for the community game, based on the latest advice from the government and Sport England.

The RFL has identified four stages, aligned to the government’s five Covid alert levels.

On Friday, June 19, the UK was moved from alert level four to three, but the RFL remains at stage two of its plan.

That includes “virtual activity and small group fitness and skills sessions, non-contact, with social distancing measures in place”.

The RFL’s director of participation and development, Marc Lovering, said: “We’ve worked closely with Sport England and other sports to put a framework in place aligning the national guidelines and alert levels to the return of community rugby league.

“We hope the information we’re releasing will help the thousands of players, coaches and volunteers who are so keen for the game to resume.”

Lovering stressed the RFL “continue to be led by government guidance and our own clinical advisory group”.

He said: “Since the alert level came down from five to four we’ve been pleased to see the resumption of some rugby league activity in a community club setting, as per stage two of our return to play guidelines [which] involves small group activity evolving into team-based sessions.”

Lovering added: “We are expecting further guidance from DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] and Sport England, which we hope will allow a move from small group activity to more teambased activity from early July – although still with social distancing.”