SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Juventus Academy Silicon Valley today announced its Return to Soccer Plan with the goal of providing a safe environment for families as they return to soccer practice. The renowned academy has drawn from several sources, such as US Soccer’s Play On Protocol, and received input from professionals like Francesca Pei at Lucille Packard Stanford Children’s Hospital, to ensure a safe return for players and employees alike.
“In addition to adopting physical distancing and special hygiene measures in public, the CDC is recommending daily physical activity even during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Anders Perez, General Manager, Juventus Academy Silicon Valley. “Being able to return to soccer practice is essential to maintain the physical and psychological well being of our kids, and we’re excited to share our protocol with our community, as well as other practice teams looking for a comprehensive operational plan.”
Juventus Academy Silicon Valley understands the unique challenges associated with returning players and coaches to the pitch. The plan is compliant with the latest official regulations by CDC, San Mateo County, and Redwood City and includes measures that provide additional safety practices that keep our club’s bar higher than the minimum standards required.
Lower Risk Forms of Participation
The new field layout consists of individual stations gridded and placed at the appropriate distance to comply with Social Distancing Measures. Lower risk forms of participation, involve individual training with no shared equipment and require players and coaches to wear a face-covering. All equipment, including soccer balls, cones, ladders, hurdles, etc., will be disinfected in between practice sessions.
Employee and Player Entry Protocol
All coaches and players will be required to answer a standard series of questions to ensure that they are healthy to return to the field. After determining that they have not had any COVID-19 symptoms, been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 or traveled outside the U.S. in the last 14 days, all participants will have their temperature taken before they enter the field. Hand sanitizer and masks will be required.
COVID-19 Saliva Testing
1Health.io, a precision health company based in San Francisco, will provide their FDA authorized Zero Contact (™) saliva COVID-19 tests to every coach and staff member. The tests are mailed to employees’ homes to ensure an easy, zero-contact approach to testing. Only employees who test negative will be allowed to be on the field. Employees will be tested every 15 days during the first phase of reopening. Should any coach test positive, he or she will have to stay away from practices for at least 14 days and staff and players will be notified of their possible exposure.
“It is critical that we bring back sports, and Anders Perez and his team have done a great job of creating a working template for other teams to follow,” said Mehdi Maghsoodnia, CEO of 1Health.io.
For more information about the Juventus Academy of Silicon Valley or to request a copy of the full Return to Soccer Plan, please visit https://jacademy.juventus.com/en/academies/silicon_valley/.
About Juventus Academy Silicon Valley
Juventus Academy Silicon Valley is the local brand ambassador and official Juventus FC Youth Academy in Northern California. Since 1956, the club has helped youth reach their goals and find success both on and off the field. The club currently counts with 610 players and 43 teams.
