Cardiff City and Swansea City have received a huge restart boost after the English government released its “phase two” guidance for athletes and elite sportsmen and women.
This next stage will enable footballers to return to close-contact and competitive training, provided it has the “appropriate carefully controlled medical conditions in place”.
Both public health officials and sports medical officers have contributed to the guidelines, with “stage three” of the government’s protocols expected to centre around a return to action in June.
The new guidelines state that: “Stage Two training can be described as the resumption of close contact (interaction within the two-metre social distancing boundary) training where pairs, small groups and/or teams will be able to interact in much closer contact (e.g. close quarters coaching, combat sports sparring, teams sports tackling, technical equipment sharing, etc).
“This new guidance marks the latest phase of a carefully phased return to training process for elite athletes, designed to limit the risk of injury and protect the health and safety of all involved,” England's Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said.
“We are absolutely clear that individual sports must review whether they have the appropriate carefully controlled medical conditions in place before they can proceed, and secure the confidence of athletes, coaches and support staff.
“Given the wide-ranging input we have received from medical experts, we believe these pragmatic measures should provide further reassurance that a safe, competitive training environment can be delivered, as we work towards a restart of professional sport behind closed doors when it is safe to do so.”
The Welsh government last week gave Cardiff and Swansea the green light to return to training, with players expected at their respective bases on Monday. Dafydd Elis Thomas, deputy minister for culture, sport and tourism, laid out the Welsh government's stance in statement released last Thursday.
He wrote: "The Welsh coronavirus restrictions regulations require everyone to work from home where possible; where that is not possible, employers must take all reasonable measures to comply with the physical distancing duty. In a professional sporting context, this means that training for our professional sportspeople can continue provided the clubs – as employers – can take all reasonable measures to maintain physical distancing in the workplace, whether that’s at a training ground or at a stadium.
"Last week, clubs in the English Premier League and the Championship clubs in the English Football League (EFL) made it clear they want to conclude the domestic season. The EFL, involving Swansea City AFC and Cardiff City FC, has provided guidance to clubs to support their return to training from May 25.
"This guidance provides that football clubs should make a phased return to first-team training when it is safe to do so, based on medical and scientific advice. The EFL has produced a series of uniform operating procedures, applicable to all clubs, to ensure players and staff are returning to first team training in as safe an environment as possible.
"We will work alongside the clubs to ensure the health of the players, coaches and staff comes first.
"Resuming training for our professional sportspeople is an important first phase, which could lead to the resumption of competitive sport. Sport will resume in the future, initially behind closed doors, providing a source of broadcast entertainment during a period when mass gatherings may not be feasible. As yet there are no firm timescales for this to happen.
"The Welsh Government is liaising closely with Sport Wales, the Welsh Sports Association and the national governing bodies to develop an overall approach for the safe return of all sport."
Further talks over phase two are planned this week involving Premier League and EFL clubs.
The English Football League confirmed on Sunday afternoon that two people have tested positive from the same club - it was later to be revealed that the club in question was Hull City - after 1,014 Covid-19 tests across the division took place.
England’s second-tier remains hopeful of returning to action, with players set to return for training in small groups on Monday, as seen with the Premier League last week.
With nine matches left to be played by each club, there remains a strong desire from Championship clubs to ensure the campaign is completed.
Leeds United and West Brom lead the way at the top of the standings, with Cardiff and Swansea sitting just outside the play-off spots. With just a two and three-point margin from the top six, both Welsh clubs will hold hope of being in the promotion mix come the end of the season.
