COVID-19 Message from Leicester City Council

Message from Leicester City Council:

Dear Football Club
We are contacting you to make you aware that following further clarification from Public Health England on government guidance to Team Sports resuming training and matches in the city.

COVID-19.Update Asset owning clubs/organisations with their own facilities or approved Covid secure facilities, within the city boundaries can align to FA guidance, however within a parks setting the Council needs to manage and adhere to government guidelines in relation to outdoor social gatherings, which is restrictions of gatherings of no more than 6 people, from multiple households. Gatherings larger than 6 should only take place if everyone is exclusively from 2 households or support bubbles and must not exceed 30 people. You should always socially distance from people outside of your household.

Therefore, we are unable to allow recreational football to align to FA guidance within a public setting such as Parks, this includes any whole team training or match play.

The City Council will review this position on the 11th September and will communicate any changes then. The City Council will need a minimum of 2 weeks prior to any pitch being ready for match play to ensure all goalposts are up, grass has been cut and lines marked. So it is unlikely that any fixture can be played on a Park pitch prior to the end of September.

We have communicated this decision to the County FA and requested that this is passed on to leagues, so they can programme any fixture away from the City where possible. Your league should be in touch with you to let you know of any changes to scheduled fixtures.

We understand the disruption that this may cause to clubs and teams, however we need to ensure public settings can be controlled effectively in order to ensure public safety and preventing the spread of Covid-19. We do not take this decision lightly and subject to government guidance changing we hope that any disruption is minimised and football can return to Council Parks.

Sites not open and under review till 11th September:

Aylestone Playing Fields , 101 Braunstone Lane East

Aylestone Recreation Ground North, Knighton Lane East.

Aylestone Recreation Ground South, Knighton Lane East.

Davenport Road Playing Fields, Davenport Road (hoping to be open earlier)

Employees Sports Ground, Braunstone Lane East (hoping to be open earlier)

Hamilton Park Football, 100 Sandhills Ave (not including fenced off stadia pitch)

Knighton Park / Welford Road Playing Fields Pavilion, Brighton Avenue

Narborough Road Playing Fields

Rushey Fields Recreation Ground, Harrison Road

Sturdee Road, Hillsborough Road

Victoria Park, London Road.

Western Park, Hinckley Road

Willowbrook Park, Colthurst Way

Sport on Parks.