Most outdoor youth sports allowed to resume in St. Louis County next week

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ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Some outdoor, high-contact youth sports will be allowed to resume in St. Louis County next Monday.  

County Executive Dr. Sam Page announced on Monday that they'll have to be played locally, against local opponents only. He says travel tournaments will not be permitted in the county and teams will not be allowed to travel to participate in tournaments outside of the community either.   

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Team sports that will be allowed include: Baseball, outdoor basketball, outdoor volleyball, bodybuilding, bowling, cheerleading, crew/rowing, dance team, fencing, outdoor floor hockey, field hockey, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, and ultimate frisbee. Permitted low-contact sports include: Diving, extreme sports, rodeo, water skiing, adventure racing, bicycling, canoeing or kayaking, field events (high jump, pole vault, javelin, shot-put), golf, horseback riding, skating (ice, in-line, roller), skateboarding, weight lifting, windsurfing, badminton, golf, orienteering, fishing, riflery, rope jumping, running, sailing, scuba diving, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and track.

Sports that remained banned at this time include: Indoor basketball, tackle/flag/touch football, indoor floor hockey, martial arts, boxing, racquetball, handball, indoor volleyball, water polo and wrestling.

Kirkwood Athletic Association President Eric Eickmeyer helped set up the youth sports policy and says this year has been "by far the most challenging" in about 60 years of youth sports. He says there will be ground-rule meetings before all games that will only involve coaches and officials.

Here are some of the major rules that will need to be followed: 

  • Athletes, coaches, officials, referees, and umpires shall undergo a health screening and temperature check prior to starting any sports activity.
  • Spectators must wear face coverings and keep proper social distancing from anyone not in their family.
  • Players must wear a face covering when not actively involved in practice, training, or competitive play.
  • Hand hygiene is essential. Organizations and facilities shall promote frequent and effective hand hygiene by supplying ample hand sanitizer dispensers and hand-washing stations.
  • No congregating shall be allowed in the parking lot or fields. A drop-off line for practices is recommended to avoid unnecessary exposure.
  • Do not share water bottles. 
  • Do not allow team huddles, handshakes, fist bumps, or other unnecessary physical contact.
  • Coaches, officials, referees, and umpires must wear face coverings. 
  • Any jerseys used during these workouts must be washed daily and not shared among players.

Page had some advice for adults involved in the youth sports scene as well, saying if coaches, referees or umpires are over 60-years-old with some chronic medical problems should consider staying away from sports for now.

Read all the guidelines at STLCorona.com. 

You can watch the full announcement here: 

KMOX's Tom Franklin contributed to this report.
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