What Does This Mean for Ultimate in WA?

From May 18, WA enters Stage 2 of WA Government’s recovery plan. As part of Stage 2, indoor and outdoor non-work gatherings of up to 20 people will be permitted.

WA Ultimate have created a COVID-19 Training Plan and Checklist to assist a club running training events to minimise the time that players are in close contact. This includes assessing your venue for its access to handwashing facilities and reviewing training drills that usually require close interaction and identifying ways to modify these to increase social distancing between players.

The key to Stage 2 is to Get In - Train - Get Out.

For Stage 2, WA Ultimate recommends that all games and all forms of pick-up do not resume and that clubs stick to modified training programs as restrictions ease.

For this stage, WA Ultimate recommends creating training squads of up to 20 people (including coaches and support staff). The members within each training squad should only train with their squad. Players who switch between squads risk exposing a greater number of players to COVID-19 and the requirements of self-isolation should a member of either squad be diagnosed with COVID-19.

Social games and open pick-up sessions encourage people to travel out of their local area and interact with unknown players, exposing them to a greater risk of COVID-19 infection. Contact tracing for these groups could also be problematic as traditionally they do not have an attendance record.

The return of the Perth Ultimate League and future WA tournament plans will be reviewed when clearance for Stage 3 is announced by the WA Government.

Any club that wishes to commence modified training MUST submit a copy of their COVID-19 Training Plan to the WA Ultimate Executive Committee to be recorded as an active site for flying disc activity.

Permissible Activities

• Training should focus on individual technical drills or group technical drills without physical contact.
• No drills involving unnecessary person-person contact (stick to drills are offensive focused with any defensive applications at the 1.5M minimum distance or removed entirely).
• No socialising or group meals.
• Train in groups of "known" people - don't allow non-members/strangers to join in

Social Distancing

• Social distancing measures still apply - 1.5m between training squad members.
• Consider maintaining some small group separation with the full group allowance.
• Ensure there is plenty of distance between your training squad and other public space users:
  • Can you throw a disc between other groups or public space users?
  • Can you overhear conversations between other groups or public space users?
  • Can you keep your belongings away from other groups or public space users?
• Inform all players not to attend training if they are unwell or have COVID-19 symptoms. Training squads must insist that anyone with these symptoms leaves the training venue.

Hygiene Practices

• Discs and cones to be washed and sanitised before and after each training session. This includes equipment in a training squad kit bag as well as the discs of individual players.
• Players must have access to hand-washing facilities with soap and sanitiser for before, during and after training
• Do not allow players to share drink bottles or towels.
• Players to be encouraged to go straight home after training and have a thorough full body shower with soap

Record Keeping

• Training Squads should keep their bags together so that those people who have the COVIDSafe app installed can recognise other devices with the COVIDSafe app installed and Bluetooth® enabled.
• Contact information on attendees, including name, address and mobile phone number must be collected and kept for 28 days. Use electronic paperwork where practical. Where pen and paper are used, encourage the use of individual pens; provide adequate sanitizer or use one person as the scribe.
• Take a photo of the training squad to assist in any contact tracing in the event a training squad members is diagnosed with COVID-19
• Regularly review your COVID-19 Training Plan and Checklist to ensure they are consistent with current directions and advice provided by health authorities.
• Ensure you have a copy of this COVID-19 Training Plan and Checklist which must be produced if requested from a relevant compliance/enforcement officer. This may include providing an electronic copy.

FAQ

When can we commence training?
From May 18 should your local council approve field use and you have submitted your COVID-19 Training Plan and Checklist to WA Ultimate you can start to run training sessions again for up to 20 people INCLUDING coaching and support staff.

Can we have 2 groups of 20 at the same venue?
Yes, but they must be kept entirely separate, both socially and competitively i.e. line of cones; fence or other ‘barrier’. We recommend you offset the training times for squads at the same venue to minimise interactions especially in the toilets; hand washing facilities and car parks. This should be detailed on your COVID-19 Training Plan and Checklist.

What will happen if we don't follow these rules?
Police and public health authorities can issue on-the-spot fines for COVID-19 related infringements. You may lose access to your venue because they don't want to undertake the risk of your activity not following the WA Government directions. Local government rangers are doing random checks and responding to community reported observations of sporting activity.

What happens if one of our players is diagnosed/suspected to have COVID-19?
You should immediately notify your coach, club president and the WA Ultimate President. Use the documentation you recorded at each training session to notify other players and encourage them to go to their doctor and follow public health directives including self-isolation.

Can we attend multiple sessions run by different clubs?
No, you must stick with the same group during this stage. Do not attend sessions run by other clubs or groups.

Can we play a game of Ultimate?
Under Stage 2, you can interpret that playing a non-competitive game part of training with members of your training squad is permissible. However, you must be able to follow the social distancing requirements. Ultimate is an invasion type game with limited contact elements so games are not able to be completely contact-free. WA Ultimate recommends that you do not have games at your training sessions during this phase. Proceed with caution and stick to drills and hone your individual skills.

Who can we talk to if we are unsure about what we can/cannot do?
Speak with your club president or the WA Ultimate President.