Major League Soccer to Allow Individual Workouts on Teams' Private Training Fields

By Neil P. First Posted: May 03, 2020 10:30 AM EDT

Major League Soccer plans to allow its teams for individual workouts and practices on its private training fields if the health and safety guidelines are strictly followed, according to a recently published article.

Major League Soccer to Allow Individual Workouts

Major League Soccer announced that it would allow its teams for individual workouts starting May 6, provided that each team must strictly follow the measures set by the league to ensure the safety of its players and its staff.

The league suspended its games on March 12 because of the health threat brought by the infectious and deadly COVID-19. Some other major leagues not only in the United States but in almost all parts of the world did the same as well.

Part of the suspension is to close the facilities of each team, but they asked the players to remain with their teams.

Individual Workouts with Guidelines

Peter Vermes, Sporting Kansas City coach, advocated for the new policy because he was concerned for players who work out and practice in public places. He said that if this will continue, players will be exposed to asymptomatic persons but are already infected with the virus.

However, he clarified that what he advocates are individual workouts in the team's private field and not small group workouts.

However, the MLS set the following guidelines before players of each team will be allowed for the individual workouts. Each MLS team must submit an outline of how the group will implement health and safety protocols. On their website, the following guidelines must be observed:

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 the 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.

It was also reiterated that all plans or health and safety measures that are set by the team must be reviewed and approved by the club's medical staff and local infectious disease expert before submitting it to the MLS.