SHERIDANS SPORTS GROUP PARTNERS WITH SPORT ENGLAND FOR “RETURN TO PLAY”

The Sheridans Sports Group, led by Jonny Madill, Andrew Nixon and Alex Harvey, were delighted to have been asked by Sport England to prepare its guidance for sporting bodies, clubs and the wider sports and recreation sector on “Return to Play” following Covid-19.
 
The guidance (which is below and set out in full here) has recently been published by Sport England and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), sets out some of the legal considerations for sporting organisations and physical activity providers as they continue their transition to “Return to Play”.
 
Key issues addressed in the guidance include:

• the duties of care owed by sports and physical activity providers;

• practical steps to discharge those duties of care;

• the importance of ensuring that full and proper Covid-19 risk assessments have been carried out;

• the higher standard of care in relation to children (under 18s) and adults at risk;

• the importance of liaising with insurers and insurance advisers before the “Return to Play” process begins to ensure that the relevant sport or physical activity is adequately insured and to ascertain whether any additional steps are required;

• some guidance on ‘Opt in’ and consent forms, including their limitations as means of enabling a sporting organisation or physical activity provider to exclude liability; and

• data protection and data privacy considerations, including in relation to health data.

It has been a privilege for the Group to have partnered with Sport England and DCMS on this hugely important project for the sports and recreation sector in England.
 
The rest of Sport England's “Return to Play” resources can be found here.