Cal South, phases 0 through 2, permits, and 2021

Rapidly coming to the realization that 2020 is shot.

Municipal permits for fields-- school districts, parks, etc-- aren't going to be forthcoming anytime soon. That makes general league play an impossibility.

Have been out to a few practices ever since Cal South opened things up. Less than 50% attendance at sessions. Clubs that would field 2-3 teams per gender/age group are going to be really lucky to field 1 competitive team. Clubs that historically do tryouts in late March probably have zero new arrivals to fill up gaps caused by natural churn.

Inter-club contract tracing is almost impossible-- imagine recording all attendance to every game on a field, even if it's just parents dropping off kids to a field. That keeps Cal South stuck at phase 2, scrimmaging between teams at the same club. We basically have two months to mask up and shut down this virus or else competitive play in 2020 is done for. Curious to see which league cancels first.
 
Rapidly coming to the realization that 2020 is shot.

Municipal permits for fields-- school districts, parks, etc-- aren't going to be forthcoming anytime soon. That makes general league play an impossibility.

Have been out to a few practices ever since Cal South opened things up. Less than 50% attendance at sessions. Clubs that would field 2-3 teams per gender/age group are going to be really lucky to field 1 competitive team. Clubs that historically do tryouts in late March probably have zero new arrivals to fill up gaps caused by natural churn.

Inter-club contract tracing is almost impossible-- imagine recording all attendance to every game on a field, even if it's just parents dropping off kids to a field. That keeps Cal South stuck at phase 2, scrimmaging between teams at the same club. We basically have two months to mask up and shut down this virus or else competitive play in 2020 is done for. Curious to see which league cancels first.
Game cards already have 70% of the information you need to contact trace. Two calls to the coach or DoC for each club gets you the rest.

Why would it be any harder than a school, workplace, or private party?
 
In NorCal there have been robust tryouts and player movement between clubs. Tryouts are basically drills and conditioning and players are sending game film to coaches. My sons team is “practicing”’in stable groups of 12, mostly drills and passing patterns etc. Atleast it’s something.
 
Game cards already have 70% of the information you need to contact trace. Two calls to the coach or DoC for each club gets you the rest.

Why would it be any harder than a school, workplace, or private party?

That assumes only one game on the field with no spectators, doesn't it? Unless you enforce a mandate where everyone has to clear out from the field before anyone else is allowed, you get into a scenario where multiple teams from multiple clubs need to be traced. Not saying it's harder than a school but dealing with different organizations doing their own methods of contact tracing is just going to be slower in an environment where every hour makes a difference.

Right, like imagine Brayden showing up to a 9am game against club X, and staying for the 11am game to watch his friend Rayden play against club Y. Now imagine Brayden tests positive two days later. That's just a difficult scenario, I don't know what you can do there.
 
Going to be much different this fall at least, some estimates predicting 25% fewer players playing club soccer. Can't recall but I think it was from Cal South but youth club travel soccer likely hit it's peak sometime ago and the numbers are declining, the trend now is accelerating.

More local play or unaffiliated stuff that's less expensive will continue to gain but club soccer is very likely to have a medium to small decline for fall. Maybe by spring things will pickup again.
 
...and the other scenario I just thought of-- referee rotation. Head ref moving to sideline for the next game, etc. You're looking at one referee crew doing 3 games, potentially four different clubs, six different teams and coaches, 90+ kids. Imagine a referee testing positive, just an absolute nightmare scenario like a super-spreader event. Contact tracing there becomes an almost impossible task.
 
That assumes only one game on the field with no spectators, doesn't it? Unless you enforce a mandate where everyone has to clear out from the field before anyone else is allowed, you get into a scenario where multiple teams from multiple clubs need to be traced. Not saying it's harder than a school but dealing with different organizations doing their own methods of contact tracing is just going to be slower in an environment where every hour makes a difference.

Right, like imagine Brayden showing up to a 9am game against club X, and staying for the 11am game to watch his friend Rayden play against club Y. Now imagine Brayden tests positive two days later. That's just a difficult scenario, I don't know what you can do there.
Most spectators are relatives of the players. You can still reach them by calling the home number of the player’s parents.

You’re right about people who stay to watch a friend’s game. Probably can’t do that anymore, until we have a vaccine.

Now do the same calculation for a 4th of July party with no official guest list. Much harder than tracing a soccer game through the game card.
 
Most spectators are relatives of the players. You can still reach them by calling the home number of the player’s parents.

You’re right about people who stay to watch a friend’s game. Probably can’t do that anymore, until we have a vaccine.

Now do the same calculation for a 4th of July party with no official guest list. Much harder than tracing a soccer game through the game card.

Totally agree about the party-- it's homecooked dogs, potato salad and watermelon with Zoom calls and streaming Hamilton this year.

Maybe there's an opportunity for Teamsnap here; cut prices, add a contact tracing option for faster player and parent communication. Still a ton of obstacles before we get to phase 4, I'm afraid.
 
...and the other scenario I just thought of-- referee rotation. Head ref moving to sideline for the next game, etc. You're looking at one referee crew doing 3 games, potentially four different clubs, six different teams and coaches, 90+ kids. Imagine a referee testing positive, just an absolute nightmare scenario like a super-spreader event. Contact tracing there becomes an almost impossible task.
or, play fewer games, one team provides a ref, who follows the team. Center might be the parent of one of the kids.

Sounds more like scrimmages than state cup, but at least it is soccer.
 
Weeknight games to help spread things out.
And if it’s 1 family member only per sideline, how will they enforce those coaches that sit in the corner and poach (oops- I mean scout) other players.
 
It's really quite simple, let them play.

Okay, soundbite aside, how do we get to phase 3? Per Cal South's guidelines on RTP, anyone who tests positive has to get cleared from their family doctor, similar to the concussion protocol. Assume a 14-day recovery period from first onset of symptoms, then the kid has to get at least one test with negative results, probably two, and only then will you get a doctor to clear them. In a competitive atmosphere, little Brayden's parents are incentivized to give him some tylenol and throw him out there. Then little Rayden on the other team catches the virus, and here come the lawsuits.

Again, realistically, what's the determination to get past phase 2?
 
It can take lo
Okay, soundbite aside, how do we get to phase 3? Per Cal South's guidelines on RTP, anyone who tests positive has to get cleared from their family doctor, similar to the concussion protocol. Assume a 14-day recovery period from first onset of symptoms, then the kid has to get at least one test with negative results, probably two, and only then will you get a doctor to clear them. In a competitive atmosphere, little Brayden's parents are incentivized to give him some tylenol and throw him out there. Then little Rayden on the other team catches the virus, and here come the lawsuits.

Again, realistically, what's the determination to get past phase 2?

It can take several weeks to test negative. Each patient is different. The other issue is how do you know a kid is positive if he/she is asymptomatic. Unlike college and the pros clubs soccer kids are not tested regularly. College and pro players will be tested weekly and can live in bubbles away from the community.

Contact tracing hasn't been successful. Less than 40% of contacts in California have shared information about who or where they have been or have been unreachable.

If there is a high number of community cases then youth sports isn't happening.
 
2020 Season is NOT happening unless schools will open in August. If schools will not open, there will be not enough fields available. Not only school fields but city fields as well. Leagues can not schedule anything without field permits. Most people are so scared, they jump anytime someone sneezes, so you don't need a second wave of the virus - wait until flu season starts. I don't see anything resuming until late 2021.
I really hope I'm wrong.....
 
2020 Season is NOT happening unless schools will open in August. If schools will not open, there will be not enough fields available. Not only school fields but city fields as well. Leagues can not schedule anything without field permits. Most people are so scared, they jump anytime someone sneezes, so you don't need a second wave of the virus - wait until flu season starts. I don't see anything resuming until late 2021.
I really hope I'm wrong.....

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2020 Season is NOT happening unless schools will open in August. If schools will not open, there will be not enough fields available. Not only school fields but city fields as well. Leagues can not schedule anything without field permits. Most people are so scared, they jump anytime someone sneezes, so you don't need a second wave of the virus - wait until flu season starts. I don't see anything resuming until late 2021.
I really hope I'm wrong.....
Our Public school district Announced yesterday it’s open for business.
 
2020 Season is NOT happening unless schools will open in August. If schools will not open, there will be not enough fields available. Not only school fields but city fields as well.
I really hope I'm wrong.....
Schools will open or at least partially open. There’s too much pressure at the federal level and from parents wanting kids to go back to school. Our school district ran a survey and over 80% of parents want their kids back to school. If teachers don’t feel safe (my wife is a teacher), they can always look at hiring substitute teachers for a year. There’s plenty of people that need a job so this shouldn’t be an issue.
 
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