Three steps back to football
These are the full details of the Premier League’s route to full contact training...
PHASE ONE No contact training (currently being used by clubs)
Small groups training, a maximum five players with strict social distancing enforced.
Each small group has its own pitch and limited time: 15 minute warm-up, 75 minute session, 15 minute warm-down.
No tackling, no contact, no small-sided games, no congested training areas.
But yes to unopposed drills (such as shooting practice) and conditioning work.
Players must arrive and leave alone, in kit and retain their own water bottles for all sessions.
Staff in full PPE equipment collect and disinfect all equipment used.
Only emergency medical attention and then with full PPE.
PHASE TWO Limited contact training (starts on Thursday)
Groups of no more than 10 players and three staff.
No time limit in training session.
Group can do some close contact training but this must be time limited. (For example, they can press an opponent in a passing exercise but not tackle).
No full contact.
Health and safety officer to check all sessions to ensure close contact is within limits.
PHASE THREE Full contact training (Estimated start June 8)
All the principles of arriving separately in kit will be retained as will disinfecting all materials.
Tackling and games will be allowed as normal but each training session will have to be signed off by health and safety officers quantifying the risk management.
Each component of the session will be assessed for risk of transmitting the virus and ranked from 1-10. So, high–risk contact time, such as intensive set piece work in the penalty area with full contact between opposing teams, which might carry a risk of 7-8, will be limited each day to minimise the risk. Lower risk activities, such as pressing without tackling, will still need to be used to ensure that the entire session isn’t made up of higher-risk full contact training.
Potentially possible to do massage work but only if Government guidelines allow and in full PPE.