Website Last Updated on:  September 10, 2020

East Ridge Athletic Association (ERAA) Football is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all our players, coaches, parents, guardians, and spectators.  To ensure we have as safe and healthy workplace, we have developed the following COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coaches, players and parents are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our fields and communities, and that requires full cooperation among our coaches, players and parents. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of all persons in our association.

Coaches, players and parents are responsible for implementing and complying with all aspects of this COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. ERAA Football coaches, players and parents have our full support in enforcing the provisions of this policy and we encourage our coaches, players and parents to ask questions, raise safety and health concerns and offer suggestions related to the plan and its implementation.

Our families and players are our most important assets. We are serious about safety and health and keeping everyone safe at ERAA Football. Involvement is essential in developing and implementing a successful COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. We have involved our board members along with our coaches/players in this process. Our COVID-19 Preparedness Plan follows State of Minnesota Industry Guidance for our business, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines, federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards related to safety and health precautions required in response to COVID-19 and applicable executive orders. The plan addresses the following: 1. hygiene and respiratory etiquette; 2. engineering and administrative controls for social distancing; 3. coach/player hygiene and source controls; 4. drop-off, pick-up and delivery practices and protocols; and

1. Policies and procedures that assist in the identification of sick coaches/players and ensure sick coaches/players stay home

Coaches/Players have been informed of and encouraged to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The following policies and procedures are being implemented to assess coaches/players health status prior to entering the field and for coaches/players to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms. Employees may also use the CDC Symptom Checker for advice on when to seek medical attention or testing if they feel they may have the disease. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

 • Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fever

• Chills

• Muscle pain

• Sore throat

• New loss of taste or smell

This list is not all possible symptoms. Other less common symptoms have been reported, including gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

ERAA Football would ask if you or anyone in your family is experiencing these symptoms to avoid participating in the skills camp.

 2. Social distancing – maintaining six feet of physical distancing Social distancing of six feet will be implemented and maintained between players on the field through the following engineering and administrative protocols:

• Social distance at 6 feet as much as possible

• Pods of 25 people or less will be allowed per station on the field

• Each pod will meet in a separate area 

• Each pod would use own set of footballs

• Pods would not be mixed during practice and encourage same pods each practice

• Football gloves can be worn but not shared

• Footballs disinfected at each station between Pods

 3. Coach/Player hygiene and source controls Coach/player hygiene and source controls are always being implemented. 

• Stay home if you are feeling sick

• Stay home if a family member or someone in your home is sick. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; if soap and water not readily available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

• Cough/sneeze into your elbow

• No player to player or coach to player contact (Ex. No high fives, no sharing water bottles every child will need their own)

4.  Drop-off, pick-up and delivery practices and protocols

Parents may drop off player at the designated area 5 -10 minutes prior to start time of the Skills Camp. A mask is required until Skills Camp begins on-field by participant. Parents are not allowed into the facility. Temperature will be taken upon entry and any fever over 100.4 will not be permitted entry. Parents can pick up children at the designated pick up area at the end of Skills Camp.

We are working on processing 100% refunds through Sports Engine. This process could take 2 to 4 weeks.

Football Families,

I hope you are all doing well and continue to stay safe and healthy as we work thru the COVID-19 pandemic. I have received many questions on the status of our upcoming season, and I appreciate your patience as we work through our options.  As a football association, we have been in constant contact with the state of Minnesota, the high school league, the youth leagues (MEYFL and North Suburban), along with surrounding community associations.  While we would like nothing more than to have all our kids out on the field playing football, we have come to the realization that we will not be able to have a successful football season this fall… and don’t want to continue to drag out the inevitable decision.  Two of the most recent developments leading to our decision are: 1) the MN High School League vote to postpone the HS football season until the spring of 2021; 2) MEYFL (the youth league we play in) announced they will not move forward with a fall season.  That leaves us very little choice but to cancel football this fall. This cancellation is for all K-8 ERAA Football: Flag, TackleBar, and Tackle.

Knowing this was a possibility, we held off on several association expenditures including ordering jerseys.  With that, we will be issuing full refunds to all players.  Refunds will be processed through SportsEngine.  Additional communication will be sent when the refunds are processed.

On a positive note, we plan to hand out DryFit t-shirts for the players that registered at no charge to families.

As a board, we will continue to monitor the situation and look for opportunities for football development throughout the upcoming year.

This was an incredibly hard decision with a lot of time and effort put in to look at viable options.  I want to thank the ERAA Football Board members for all of their time and effort over the past couple months as we worked through this process.  I saw firsthand how much passion they have for our football program and how much they wanted to salvage this season for the kids.

Thank you parents for all your support and patience this year.  I hope to see you all back next season!

Regards,

Chris Rehfeld

ERAA Football

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