FIELD – NBIAA RETURN TO PLAY PLAN

• We will meet all public health guidelines as they are revised, which will include continued monitoring of changes through: o The requirements of NBIAA’s Return to play Covid 19 Operational plan for 2020-2021. o The FHC Rule changes and guidance for Covid 19 return to play. • Schools would like to have 2 weeks of skills and drills starting September 14th to September 27th. This sport is unique to high school students in New Brunswick and there are no feeder schools or provincial organizations that engage kids in the sport of . For some girls this is the only high school sport that they play. • Physical distancing of 2m apart on side lines and masks worn by coaches and assistants. • Players should wear their masks when waiting/sitting on the sidelines. Masks can be removed and stored in a clean plastic bag when they are waiting to be substituted onto the field. • Prior to a game or at half time when speaking as a group, players and coaches should have their masks in place and maintain physical distancing. • No removing of mouth guards within 2 meters of other athletes. While playing, the mouth guard must stay in their mouth at all times and can only be removed once they are off the field. Hands must be sanitized prior to removing or reinserting the mouth guard. Players should have a container to place their mouth guards in when it is removed (not their socks). • Sanitization of hands with hand sanitizer each time players comes off the field for a substitution. • Sanitization procedures in place to sanitize any touched (very rare in field hockey to use your hands since they are holding the stick) • No sharing of equipment (sticks, shin pads, cleats, jerseys, skirts) • Jerseys, socks and shin pads must be washed after each practice/game. • No sharing of water bottles and water bottles should be clearly labelled as to not mistake it for a similar one. • Athletes enter the field 30 minutes prior to the start of a game dressed for play and leave the game immediately after the game ends. • No handshakes. No high fives. • Staggered exit and not all at once. • Our end goal is to give our graduating players a chance to play and to continue with the introduction of the sport to the grade 9 and 10’s.

RULE MODIFICATIONS 1. Only 8 girls + GOALIE (4 offense and 4 defense + goalie) inside the 25 yard line (easily visible on turf field) when attacking. This would mean your 3 defense plus sweep / 3 defense plus center mid PLUS attacking 4 players. 2. Penalty corners - no players other than goalie inside the net defensively. All defending players must be socially distanced on the end line. 3. Penalty corners - 3 defense PLUS goalie defending / 4 offensive players on circle attacking. 1 other player can run in from half to complete the 9 players total inside the 25 yard line. 4. Free hits - Ball must come to a complete stop and all players on the field must be 10 yards away. Free hit / self-pass can then take place on referees whistle. 5. Free hit ball placement is done by moving the ball with your stick, not your hand. 6. 3rd party rule already limits the amount of players attacking the ball at once. It is a 1 vs 1. If a 2nd player enters the area, then an obstruction is called. 7. The field allows for physical distancing since the reach of the stick is at least a meter. At no time in a field hockey game is a player’s body touching another players body.