Dear New Canaan FC Families,

I cannot tell you how happy I was to see our children back on the fields last weekend. Even seeing my son cry after his first loss of the season seemed strangely welcome. Win, lose or draw, the weekend was a great success with all 19 travel teams, 2 Rivals United teams, and our Junior and Petite Rams playing in their first games in nearly 10 months – long overdue! That’s nearly 600 soccer players running around with their friends again.

We will do everything we can to keep this going; however, to do so, we will need a little luck and the full cooperation from all our participants – parents, players, siblings, and coaches alike. At this point, our guidelines are not overly burdensome, but that could change if we do not have full compliance. The most glaring issue thus far is the easiest to fix – SPECTATORS MUST WEAR A FACE MASK AND PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING AT ALL TIMES. You can find our full guidelines on our website; highlights are below.

PLAYERS

·       Must wear a mask upon arrival and departure to/from practice and games.

·       Should distance during all breaks.

·       Bags and water bottles must be kept at least 6-feet apart.

·       No sharing of any equipment, especially water bottles.

·       No spitting or spraying water.

·       No team celebrations that include touching such as hugs, high fives, fist bumps.

SPECTATORS/PARENTS/PARENT VOLUNTEERS

·       Must wear a mask and social distance at all times.

·       Please check your child’s temperature and monitor for any signs of illness prior to the game. The player may not attend with any signs of illness.

·       Excluding Petite and Junior Rams sessions, parents are discouraged from staying at practice. If parents choose to stay, they must wear a mask and practice social distancing. Parents are not permitted to sit in stands or benches.

·       Carpooling is discouraged.

·       Follow any additional protocol outlined at away facilities.

COACHES

·       Must wear a face covering at all times.

·       Must handle and clean your team’s equipment so that players are not touching it.

·       Monitor players to make sure they are maintaining social distance and wearing masks and using hand sanitizer as needed.

We recognize the situation in New Canaan is fluid with four positive Covid cases in the High School, one at St. Luke’s, and many students now under quarantine. As such we have added a section to our guidelines to address our policy regarding the participation of players who have a household member under quarantine. Our policy is in-line with New Canaan Public School guidelines and was made in consultation of the New Canaan Health Department. You can find the added section below and on our website.

• Household Quarantine Impact on Player Eligibility: New Canaan FC will take our guidance from and follow the quarantine protocols of the New Canaan Public School system.  The implications of that adherence are as follows:
  • In the event that a player is required and/or recommended to quarantine (by their school, town, state or any other public or governing bodies), that player must refrain from participation in any activities involving New Canaan FC until that quarantine is lifted.
  • In the event that other members of the player's household (but not the player themselves) are required and/or recommended to quarantine (by their school, town, state or any other public or governing bodies), such non-quarantining player shall be allowed to participate in New Canaan FC activities.  

• Parental Acknowledgement of New Canaan FC Quarantine Policy: By allowing a child to participate in any New Canaan FC activities, the parents of such child acknowledge the existence of this policy and acknowledge that their child may or may not, at any given time, be participating on a team with a player or players who have household members subject to quarantine.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and I look forward to seeing you on the fields!

Sincerely,

Pat Quill
New Canaan FC President
NCPRIDE