Many of you may be wondering how Newcastle Baseball Club League (NBCL) intends to conduct the 2021 spring season with all the Governor’s restrictions that constrict, or ease based on the COVID metrics for Washington state or King County. Reference: WA Governor Sporting Activities COVID-19 Requirements: Updated March 17, 2021

General Guidelines:

• Athletes, coaches, umpires, spectators and any other volunteer staff are required to stay home if they feel unwell, show any signs of COVID-19, or are a close contact of a confirmed case.
• Team events (e.g. practices, games) will be scheduled in GameChanger Team Manager which has a COVID-19 Health Status Questionnaire for coaches and parents of athletes to complete prior to attending the event.
• Questionnaire completion is mandatory.
• Questionnaire completion enables contact tracing for coaches and athletes attendance at events.  
• Those who are excluded from training or contests due to COVID-19 symptoms or because they are close contacts must follow DOH and local public health isolation and quarantine guidance before returning to training or contests.
• Masks must be properly worn at all times by athletes and coaches unless drinking or eating
• All athletes and coaches shall refrain from all physical contact and stay 6 feet apart whenever possible. Use back of dugout and bleachers for extended dugout area when needed.
• No sharing of equipment or water bottles.
• Exception: catcher's gear will continue to be shared for some teams since there is a dynamic number of athletes at the position. Coaching staff shall sanitize the inside of catcher's helmet, mitt, shin guard clips, chest protector clips between uses; coaches may also choose to not share catcher’s equipment for that event (one player plays catcher the entire game)
• Athletes not allowed to go to their mouth to improve grip on the ball
• No spitting, sunflower seeds or gum allowed.
• League shall provide to coaches, and coaches shall bring sanitizing spray and sanitizing wipes to every practice and game;
• Parents are responsible for providing each athlete hand sanitizer
• Hand sanitizer to be used by athletes and coaches at arrival, during event and when leaving events.
• Maximum 75 people allowed per field for practices or games (including athletes, coaches, umpires, fans)

Game Guidelines (in addition to General Guidelines):

• On offense - dugout is used to prepare for those next up in the batting order; other athletes should be spaced out behind or next to the dugout
• Umpires should remain 6 feet from athletes when possible
• Celebrations should be kept to a minimum - refraining from all physical contact
• No post-game handshakes - use alternate ways to acknowledge opponents
• Athletes must wait until all participants and equipment from the previous game have exited the dugout before entering the dugout
• No parents are allowed in the dugout, only athletes and coaches
  
  

Fans Attending Games or Practices:

• Masks are required
• No sitting in the bleachers or bleacher area - that is designated for athletes/coaches (this is field dependent on where the dugout opening is located)
• Fan area will be down the foul line fences (beyond the dugouts, field dependent)
• All fans should bring their own chairs and sit or stand a minimum of 6 feet apart from those outside their household (practicing social distancing guidelines)