Sports and Covid-19: how amateur clubs will welcome the public

Reassure parents and members by setting up strict health rules;

face the economic crisis;

offer content to meet the needs of French people who are adept at new practices;

adapt to the demands of licensees who are asking for wider time slots ... In this new school year, the leaders of the clubs, a very large majority of whom are volunteers, must face many challenges.

With the first concerns: the licensees, whom they have often not seen since the confinement in March, will they come back?

Parents, often worried about the pandemic, will they dare to register their children?

At the French Athletics Federation (FFA), we want to be reassuring.

"Our sport is played in a stadium, where distance is easy, contacts are few, exchanges of equipment rare", points out Philippe Boidé, head of the development department.

The FFA, like all sports federations, has implemented a strict health protocol.

"All precautions are taken"

All structures - including those offering contact activities (boxing, judo, karate, etc.) - have been authorized to reopen.

“All precautions have been taken,” assures the president of the French Sailing Federation Nicolas Henard.

Throughout the summer, the sailing schools have hosted courses in complete safety and will therefore, in this return, continue their momentum.

With confinement, some French people wanted to play sports and discovered a new way of practicing.

"The digital has taken an important place and for this fall, people will want to mix a practice in a club and a sports activity at home", estimates the vice Olympic boxing champion Sarah Ourahmoune, who opened a social club ( Boxer Inside) in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.

"With the crisis, clubs have had to adapt by setting up new systems, the Covid has accelerated the shift towards digital tools," recalls Philippe Boidé.

These things that we then tested must endure.

At the federation, we organized a virtual race, which allows you to line up while having fun and we intend to repeat the experience.

"

At the time of deconfinement, many clubs tested new activities.

Team sports have organized training without a ball.

In judo, we brought out of the boxes forgotten exercises allowing to practice without contact.

We also organized outdoor sessions.

In some structures, working hours have been extended to allow employees to practice supervised physical activity after work or during lunch breaks.

Clubs are now offering to help children with their homework before their workout.

The revolution in practices may be underway.