Southwest Soccer Club

Ohio South - Corona virus updates

Ohio South - Corona virus updates

From the Desk of Gordon Henderson
Executive Director
Ohio South Youth Soccer

May 12, 2020

As we are in the process of the State of Ohio slowly opening back up, I wanted to bring everyone up to speed of where we are at with regards to return to activity, training and games.

USYS has established a Return to Play committee led by Tim Turney (USYS Vice President and US Soccer BOD member). The committee is scheduled to have the first draft for review by the 55 State Associations sometime in the next few days. Understanding that each State Association will have individual variances depending on local situations, these guidelines are being established so we can have some level of consistency where possible. This is also happening at the National level, as the USYS CEO (Skip Gilbert) sits on a panel with 20 other sports within the governing USOPC (United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee) – the goal being the same. All of these national Governing bodies want there to be a level of consistency in message and coordination across the full youth sport spectrum.

At the State level, Governor DeWine has formed a task force on return to activity and play for youth sports-related activities. I am hopeful we will be given some direction and timeline in the coming days/weeks.

The state of Indiana has already begun the process. I share with you not to imply that this is what the recommendations from the state of Ohio or OSYSA will be, but it does give a sense of what the timelines and structure could look like. Take a moment to review, and I think some planning for the future by your league or club along these lines would be appropriate.

State of Indiana – Back on Track Program

Indiana Soccer Association – Return to Activity

Meanwhile, until we receive amendments to the last Public Order or further guidelines from the State, Ohio South still has a no individual/small group training or games policy in place. If any league or club engages in these activities until authorized by Ohio South, this will be considered an unsanctioned event and not covered by any State Association benefits or insurance.

Please note, as the return to activity guidelines are released by the State, it will probably be a few days until Ohio South makes its announcement. Like most of the Public Orders so far, there may be some elements not clearly defined in which we may need to take time to consult with the Ohio Department of Health.

We truly appreciate everyone’s understanding and flexibility during these unprecedented times.