We have been working lately on a variety of topics, such as availability of space, understanding the state and local government regulations and conversing with insurance and legal counsel about what all needs to be considered as we aim to conduct a summer basketball league. Even though the Governor has “re-opened” the economy in the state, not all local counties have done so. As a result it’s too early in the process for us to start up youth basketball. We do hope and feel by July there will be added clarity as to what can be offered in a safe and comfortable manner. While all of our preparations are ongoing and we’re working in a very fluid environment, we can give you a few details about the upcoming summer league:
League Dates: We will start Monday, June 29th and finish on August 20th. We chose to not start basically until July as this will give us another 8 weeks before any games take place. It also gives us time to study other local events and put on the best and safest environment possible. Teams can still choose when they want to start and end in the league to work around any particular conflicts.
League Days: For this summer only we will be offering games all seven days to be able to use limited space available to play. Teams can still play on only preferred days but if a team wants a large number of games they need to offer as many days as possible to play. Not every facility will be available every day, but we are trying to get enough space to play each night.
Limited Number of Teams in the League: We are probably going to have shut off the number of teams in our summer league at some point to make sure we can take care of the teams that have signed up. Everyone on our current “Look Who’s Coming List” is fine, but if you have any additional teams please sign them up by the end of May as we probably are going to have to cut the list off like we did in our tournaments. Here is our list of all teams signed up to play in the league as of today – LOOK WHO’S COMING.
League Facilities: This is one variable that is much different this summer. We will not know till mid June when the public school districts decided to allow usage of school facilities this summer. It’s possible they won’t allow any outside access this summer. This is why we have been contacting the private facilities and school districts to get available space to play games. We are continuing to work on this issue.
Safety Issues: This is one topic we are not ready to fully disclose as we are still working on this difficult topic. The world as you know is a “new normal” that no one knows what the future holds. No one, including our government, knows exactly what to expect. Like professional, college and high school sports, youth sports is entering a whole new realm of how it is organized, played and observed. We don’t pretend to have all the answers but by not starting till June 29th we will have a much better idea from other events and local guidelines of what and how changes need to take place. As you already know, this is a top priority for all of us so every aspect of a safe playing environment for all will be enacted before any game takes place. There also will be a new waiver for all parents and players to sign before anyone can play in a game. This waiver will be on our website in early June.
League Rules: Though the game will stay the same, there will have to be some changes in how games take place. All changes will be done with regards to social distancing. This includes how teams and parents enter and leave buildings. Like the safety issues, we are still working on the specifics of how games will take place. Topics like limited adults on the bench as coaches, one person working the scoring table and basketballs to be used are getting worked out this month. All safety and league rules will be sent out to all coaches before we schedule the league. If a team has issues with how the league will be conducted, teams will have the opportunity to drop out of the league before we schedule the league.
League Conflicts: We finally have reached the stage where it is now worth you reaching out to parents to get league conflicts in. You can share this information with them and let us know your conflicts.
The league start is 8 weeks away so there is time to for local counties to still create a cohesive set of guidelines that will be consolidated for all facilities to follow. As mentioned we will be releasing specific actions taken before any scheduling will be started to give teams a chance to asses if they want to participate. We have always been a transparent organization and will continue to be.
Stay safe and we look forward to a day when balls are again bouncing as part of CNR Basketball.