Youth Sports & Coronavirus: When and What Can Kids Play?

On Friday, Jan. 22, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that starting Feb. 1, athletes who play higher risk sports—such a football, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball—and recreational activities may begin individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training, as well as other types of play, including competitions and tournaments, as permitted by local health authorities as long as they follow the New York State Department of Health's guidelines. Low and moderate risk sports have already been given the green light for practices and competitions.

Prior to this announcement, Governor Cuomo had put higher risk sports on hold, allowing participants to train individually but not practice or compete as a team. 

On March 8, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and incoming Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter announced that all NYC school sports can resume in mid-April, following strict safety protocols, including phasing in, masking, regular testing, no use of locker rooms, and limited indoor use. The same safety precautions that have made the reopenings of schools successful will be applied to the reintroduction of sports. Spectators will not be allowed for now and all sports will occur outside where possible.

"Sports in particular provide a much-needed outlet for our kids and they have been without that for nearly a year at this point," Porter said. "By having important opportunities and offerings like sports that are driven by student interests, we can expect to see students more engaged and excelling in academics. We are going to continue with what we know works."

Low, Moderate, and High Risk Sports

Sports and recreation activities are categorized as “lower risk,” “moderate risk,” and “higher risk,” according to the Governor’s office.

Low risk sports and recreation activities include:

• individual running
• batting cages
• hunting/shooting/archery
• golf
• non-motorized boating
• singles tennis
• rock climbing
• individual swimming
• cross country running
• horseback riding
• rope courses
• other sports and recreation activities with similar abilities to maintain physical distance and limit exposure to shared equipment prior to it being cleaned and disinfected

Moderate risk sports and recreation activities include:

• baseball
• softball
• doubles tennis
• racket games
• water polo
• gymnastics
• field hockey
• non-contact lacrosse
• flag football
• swimming relays
• Soccer
• other sports and recreation activities with similar abilities to maintain physical distance and limit exposure to shared equipment prior to it being cleaned and disinfected

High risk sports and recreation activities include:

• football
• wrestling
• ice hockey
• rugby
• basketball
• contact lacrosse
• volleyball
• martial arts
• competitive cheer and group dance
• other sports and recreation activities with similar abilities to maintain physical distance and limit exposure to shared equipment prior to it being cleaned and disinfected

How To Play Youth Sports Safely

When your child’s team does begin practicing—whether it's at an interscholastic level or smaller, private leagues—it will likely look different. Team members will have to social distance, wear masks, modify certain plays, sanitize equipment, and more. After all, even the Major Leagues have called for radical safety protocols, where every player must have their temperature checked and get a COVID-19 test.

The youth sports industry itself will also be changed. Many parents won’t be comfortable allowing their child to be on a team. Plus, with the ongoing recession, many families may not be able to afford league fees, uniforms, and other fees associated with youth sports. “There is not going to be that kind of discretionary income out there,” says Dave Brown, owner of Basketball Stars of New York. The recession may also cause 20-40 percent of youth sports clubs to close, according to the Wall Street Journal.