MLS to allow voluntary individual player workouts

Whitecaps FC statement on MLS voluntary individual player workouts

We are pleased that MLS has approved voluntary individual workouts for players at outdoor team training fields as soon as May 6, subject to local health official and government policies. We are eager to move to this phase as soon as it is safe and responsible to do so and have been preparing stringent plans since the work from home order began. We are in close discussions with the public health officer, local health authorities, and infectious disease experts in coordinating our individual workout plans for players at our training fields. We will provide a further update once more information is available.

NEW YORK, NY – Major League Soccer today announced that as of Wednesday, May 6, players may begin to use outdoor team training fields for individual workouts, in compliance with detailed health and safety protocols that were created in consultation with medical and infectious disease experts.  All individual workouts are voluntary and may not be in conflict with local public health official or government policies.

• Restricting training facility access to essential staff only, with specific staff listed in the plan.
• Sanitization and disinfection plans for all training equipment and spaces, including disinfection of any equipment used by players (balls, cones, goals) between every session.
• Completion of a Standard Screening Assessment survey by each player prior to every arrival at the training site, and temperature checks upon arrival at the facility.
• Staggered player and staff arrivals and departures, with designated parking spaces to maintain maximum distance between vehicles.
• Player use of personal protective equipment from the parking lot to the field, and again on return to the parking lot.
• Staff use of the appropriate personal protective equipment throughout training, while also maintaining a minimum distance of 10 feet from players at all times.
• Hand washing and disinfectant stations for required use before and after individual workouts.
• Clubs will have the use of the outdoor fields at their training facility, divided into a maximum of four quadrants per field. A maximum of one player per quadrant may participate per training session with no equipment sharing or playing (passing, shooting) between players. 
• An Emergency Action Plan for all COVID-19 related issues.