Arizona Soccer Association set to begin return-to-play process

The Arizona Soccer Association has announced that the suspension of all sanctioned activities, caused by the coronavirus pandemic, will expire on May 15.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey opened the door for professional sports to resume without fans starting this weekend, and it appears youth sports will be able to follow a similar timeline.

The US Youth Soccer state association’s return-to-play process will take place over the course of four phases, the first of which will officially begin on Saturday, May 16.

See below for the full announcement from the Arizona Soccer Association:

Wednesday, May 13, 2020 – The Arizona Soccer Association (ASA) is announcing that the suspension of all sanctioned activities will expire on May 15, 2020. This decision is not made lightly and is done in alignment with the Executive Order “Stay Healthy, Return Smarter, Return Stronger” announced by Governor Ducey. Accordingly, ASA has developed Return-to-Play Guidelines that will be implemented over four phases beginning with Phase I on May 16, 2020.

While many are going to be excited to return to play there are others who may be apprehensive. If a player, parent, or family are not comfortable returning to play – DON’T. We must demonstrate respect and courtesy for everyone’s feelings during this time and ensure that we provide a safe environment as we return to play.

Implementing the ASA Return-to-Play Guidelines will require a cooperative relationship between the Club, Coach, Parent, and Player. While the Club and Coach must create a safe environment, the Parent must make the decision for their child to return to play. If, as a parent you are not comfortable in your child’s returning to play – DON’T. And finally, Players must be responsible to adhere to, and respecting the social distancing requirements and contact guidelines that have been established.

The roles/responsibilities for each include:

The foundation for the four phases of the ASA Return-to-Play Guidelines are:

As the evolution through each of the four phases occurs, the following should always be adhered to:

Phase I will be defined by the following Restrictions and Activities:

ASA remains steadfast in our commitment to the safety of our players, coaches, referees, families, and communities. It is imperative that everyone understand their role and demonstrate a commitment adhering to the ASA Return-to-Plat Guidelines which have been created based on federal, state, and local directives and guidance with the intent of providing a safe environment to get back on the field. If there is hesitation in returning to play – DON’T; just because you can does not mean you must.