Herndon Youth Soccer follows guidance from Virginia state officials, the CDC, Fairfax County and VYSA to ensure players, families, coaches and our community remain safe. 

Our goal is to keep outdoor soccer as safe as possible and open as an outlet for children during these challenging times. Soccer aids in their personal, social, mental, and physical development, and this has become even more critical now with extended isolation at home and the absence of face-to-face interactions in school and in social settings with friends. 

With safety measures and protocols in place, we can keep the risk of transmission on the soccer field low to ensure the opportunity to play soccer in a safer environment. Every family should weigh the risk that participating in outdoor team sports brings and determine what is best for their family. For the families choosing to participate, here are our club guidelines and protocols.

Safety Precaution Guidelines

PRE-SCREENING: Every team MUST conduct a pre-screening of coaches and players prior to every team training/game/event. (This can be done through the TeamSnap app or through a google survey, for example.) The team manager (or designated team COVID ambassador) is required to check the answers to ensure only players not at risk based on their answers may attend. 

SOCIAL DISTANCING: Players must maintain social distancing at the soccer field of at least 10 feet when practicable (revised from 6 feet). This means each player must have their belongings placed at least 10 feet apart and maintain that distance when gathering on the sidelines. No team celebrations, high-fives, handshakes, etc. No sharing of water bottles.

FACE MASKS: All staff and players must wear face masks upon entering and exiting the fields. Spectators, when permissible, must wear face masks at the fields at all times.

• For trainings: no spectators are allowed at the fields. Parents of U9-U10 players may walk to the field’s point of entry/exit to drop off/pick up their player and immediately return to their car. Parents must always wear masks when walking to/from the field.
   
• For league games: VA Governor Ralph Northam declared (12/20) each player may have two guests at the field (wearing masks and maintaining distance). However, opposing clubs and tournaments may limit this with stricter guidelines).

POINT OF ENTRY: To allow for less congestion, we have made separate entrances and exits at each field.

•    Arrowbrook
•    Hutchison
•    Bready 

GENERAL HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS: 

• Wash hands regularly
• Keep hand sanitizer for use at the field
• Avoid touching face
• Cough or sneeze into elbow
• Clean and disinfect high contact surfaces