The government’s new measures will allow people to play sport with one person they don’t live with, as long as the exercise does not flout social distancing rules. Bad news for amateur squash players, judo practitioners and local rugby teams itching to get back to that first scrummage.
But some sports, such as tennis and golf – with some minor adjustments – fit quite squarely within the new guidelines. Golfers across the country are now enjoying the resumption of their much loved pastime after several weeks of chipping practice in the garden.
However, there still won’t be any organised, professional sport in the UK until 1 June 2020 at the earliest. Even then, it will be behind closed doors.
The narrative is quite understandably focused around how safe even a phased return to professional sport can be. The Premier League – the top level of England’s most popular sport, football, has found itself at the forefront of the discussion. The so-called “Project Restart” has been met with scrutiny, especially with its French and Scottish equivalents – Ligue 1 and the SPFL – ending their respective seasons early.
Under UK legislation, employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their employees and those that are affected by their activities. This duty of care, put simply, extends to staff, customers and anyone else who visits the workplace.
Taking football as an example, this means clubs have a duty to protect not just their players, but also club staff, coaches, referees, camera operators and broadcasters, physios, doctors, administrators, translators, chefs and lots more. And of course - fans.
Many stakeholders are keen to get football up and running again but clubs, as employers, will be mindful of their obligation to put safety first.
Equally, some high-profile players have already voiced concerns about the prospects of a return to top flight football this year. Watford club captain, Troy Deeney, has pointed out that if there is still a risk of transmission between players, those players’ families are exposed to infections that otherwise might have been avoided. The same can be said for other popular contact and combat sports in the UK, such as rugby union, rugby league and boxing.
Many (myself included) are missing the thrill that live sport brings. However, in these unprecedented times, it is important not to lose perspective. No matter how much of a boost to national morale live sport might be - it is important to prioritise the health and well-being of our key workers, and if that means delaying the resumption of professional sport beyond 1 June 2020, then I’m happy to wait as long as it takes.
For now at least, it seems that Project Restart hangs in the balance.
In the meantime I am filling the void with sports documentaries and reruns of classic matches. In case you were wondering, The Last Dance.
No professional sport, even behind closed doors, will be staged in England until 1 June at the earliest, the UK government has announced
