Junior teams getting ready for March 29 return

It’s been confirmed that from March 29, outdoor sports facilities such as tennis, golf clubs or basketball courts will re-open - and organised adult and children’s sport, such as grassroots football, will also return.

The news will delight the many who have been prevented from playing sport since Christmas.

It is dependent on the continued decline in coronavirus cases and the successful ongoing rollout of vaccines.

Owen Willis, who is the chairman of Scarborough Ladies FC, has welcomed the news that football can restart next month.

He said: “It will be great to see the teams back in action, they have all missed seeing their teammates during the lockdowns and hopefully soon they will be able to see them all again.

“We have been sent a survey by the City of York Girls League asking for our input regarding the completion of the season.

“We have asked our players and their parents what they want to do and they all seem very keen to get back to playing.

“We will be making sure that during any return to training and/or playing we would make everything Covid secure as we did during the previous returns from lockdowns.”

Heslerton Juniors FC secretary Steve Allardice is also delighted by the prospect of his club’s players returning to action.

Allardice said: “Heslerton JFC welcomed the news on Monday for the return to grassroots football in March.

“The committee are working tirelessly behind the scenes getting things organised to make sure all the rules and regulations are met and the children have a safe environment to come back into to enjoy mixing and playing football with their teammates.

“They are all very keen to get back onto the pitch again whether it be playing matches or just purely training as long as they have the opportunity to get outside and mix with their peers again.

“I’m sure that the parents have missed it just as much as the kids as well.”

The FA announced on Monday, shortly after the roadmap announcements by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, that grassroots league could extend their seasons until the end of June, whereas usually the season is concluded by the early part of May.

There are concerns that running the football season into May and June could cause issues regarding ground availability as many football clubs share pitches with cricket clubs.