We've opened three funds focusing on a safe return to play and narrowing the inequalities gap in sport and physical activity. Find out more and see if the funds can help you.
A national lockdown is in place as of Wednesday 6 January, to counter the steep rise in coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in England, with strict restrictions in place governing what can and can't be done.
However, the government has announced their plans for the easing of lockdown restrictions and more information on how this affects sport and physical activity can be found here.
Below, we've outlined the new guidance and provided answers to your specific questions regarding what is and isn't allowed.
We've also compiled a set of resources that can still be used to help plan for a safe return to play, when restrictions begin to ease.
Current guidance
You should minimise time spent outside your home.
It's against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they're part of your household or support bubble. You can only leave your home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure (e.g. a picnic or a social meeting). This should be limited to once per day, and you shouldn't travel outside your local area.
You can exercise in a public outdoor place:
- by yourself
- with the people you live with
- with your support bubble (if you're legally permitted to form one)
- in a childcare bubble where providing childcare
- or, when on your own, with one person from another household (going for a walk with someone counts as exercise).
Public outdoor places include:
- parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
- public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
- the grounds of a heritage site
- playgrounds.
Outdoor sports venues, including tennis courts, golf courses and swimming pools, must close.
There are, however, two exemptions to the national lockdown restrictions for sport and activity:
- Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.
- Elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - are allowed to meet in larger groups, to compete and train.
Frequently asked questions
With a national lockdown in place, we've compiled answers to some of your most common questions on what this mean for sport and physical activity.
Government guidance
With a national lockdown in place, the government's compiled detailed guidance of what can and can't be done for exercise under these restrictions.
Inclusion and accessibility
It's critical that the people who've been impacted the most by the nationwide restrictions are supported to get active now another lockdown has been implemented.
We've compiled guidance on who can get active, how you can engage specific audiences, how to ensure your facilities remain accessible when they reopen, and more.
Latest research
We've collated new research on people's current attitudes to sport and physical activity.
It looks at the likelihood of people returning to their activity of choice once restrictions are eased, what might hold people back, and how activity providers can help encourage a return.
Winter Activity Toolkit
We’ve produced a toolkit to help you keep sport and physical activity going over the next few months.
It’s packed with advice, guidance and insight to support you to encourage participation in line with the latest government guidelines.
Clubs toolkit
Club Matters has guidance to help sports clubs prepare for reopening, when possible, how to develop a risk register, tips to enforce social distancing, and more.
Click below to access the toolkit, and scroll down here for more guidance, including how to help your volunteers prepare, and hygiene tips.
Volunteering
Volunteers have a vital role to play as sport and physical activity providers plan for a return.
So what should you be thinking about when it comes to your volunteers returning safely and well-prepared? We've answered some of the main questions.
Hygiene guidance
Advice and guidance to help sport and physical activity facilities keep their environment safe for everyone, plus downloadable posters and stickers.
Other support and guidance
To help people, projects and organisations through this crisis, we've pulled together advice and resources from us and our partners.
These resources share best practice and have clear actions we hope will help you to work through this crisis, help to keep the nation active and try to plan for the future.
Tools and advice to help you now
1. Business advice
Whether you're a community club, a local authority or the chair of a large organisation, we've got guidance to help you deal with the coronavirus crisis.
2. Connecting with and supporting your community
With guidance and best practice tips from Twitter and YouTube, as well as our own campaign assets, you'll be able to keep in touch with your community and help to keep the nation active.
3. Maintaining facilities
With confusion over what qualifies as essential maintenance for facilities, we're working with trusted partners to help you understand how to maintain facilities appropriately during this time.
4. How to move your activity sessions online
With restrictions on what can open and how often people can go out, many are turning to the internet to help them get active - we've got free advice on how to live stream exercise classes.
Prepare and adapt for the future
1. Understand the effect on activity levels
What impact is the coronavirus crisis having on people's activity habits and motivations? We've commissioned weekly surveys to help you understand just that.
2. Develop your skills
The future is still uncertain, but we've collated advice from experts on how to develop your skill-set to help cope with whatever the future might bring.
3. Getting ready for re-start
As restrictions begin to lift and organisations begin to start thinking about starting up activity again, we're providing guidance on how to go about doing it.
4. Local authorities and service providers
We’ve heard from local authorities and leisure providers the need for additional support and we wish to proactively offer specialist consultancy to help.
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The legal bit
The guidance, tools and resources provided in this support hub ("Guidance") is provided solely for general information. Sport England is not your adviser and any reliance you may place on this general information is entirely at your own risk.
Read moreRead lessCare has been taken over the accuracy of the content of the Guidance, but Sport England cannot guarantee that such information is up to date or reflects any or all relevant legal requirements.
Sport England makes no claim or representation regarding, and accepts no responsibility for, the quality, content, nature, reliability or safety of third party websites or services accessible by hyperlink (“Links”) from any webpage on the Sport England website https://www.sportengland.org/ or Club Matters website https://www.sportenglandclubmatters.com/, including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Guidance, (“Websites”) or third party websites linking to the Website.
Such linked websites are not under Sport England’s control. Sport England is not responsible for the content of any such linked websites and/or any link contained in a linked website, or any review, changes or updates to such websites. Sport England provides these Links to you only as a convenience and/or for educational purposes, and the inclusion of any Link does not imply any affiliation, endorsement, or adoption by Sport England of the website or any information contained in it. When leaving the Websites, you should be aware that Sport England’s Terms and Conditions no longer apply, and, therefore, you should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any third party website.
The information contained in this support hub is general and not specific and therefore may not be suitable for you in any way. You should ensure that you obtain professional specialist technical and legal advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of information contained in any of the Guidance.