CHICAGO, IL – After the release of USA Rugby’s Return to Play Guidelines, the Midwest Rugby Football Union has updated their Return to Play Handbook which advises member clubs on requirements and recommendations for playing safely in a COVID-19 environment. 

The handbook can be downloaded here and viewed online by visiting the COVID-19 Return to Play page on the Midwest website. Here are some key takeaways:

• If any member club plans to hold training or competition events, they must first create and submit a Return to Play Safety Plan to the Local Area Union. The LAU must approve this plan. Approval from a local health official is recommended, but not required.
• When creating their plan, a member club should meet the guidelines of USA Rugby, the protocols of the Midwest, and any Regional Health Mandates.
• LAUs and not member clubs, make determinations as to where a region falls in the USAR RTP Stages. This information is documented on the Midwest’s COVID-19 Compliance Tracking Sheet.
• Players and coaches must be properly registered for their club before participating in competition events. No club may permit a player to compete in competition that is not properly registered for their club, even if the match is a friendly.
• USAR recommends at least three (3) weeks of training prior to competition following the General Return to Rugby Plan with progressing contact. The MWRFU recommends an individual player participate in at least one (1) training per progression in order to return to contact safely.
• Every participant must sign the Midwest COVID-19 Waiver of Liability prior to each match.
• All players and coaches must be screened for symptoms prior to any rugby event. These screenings should be documented in a Google Sheet and shared with each club’s LAU and the Midwest. Compliance will be tracked on the COVID-19 Compliance Sheet by each member club’s Compliance Coordinator and spot checked by each LAU’s Compliance Officer.
• Failure to properly document your club’s compliance will result in sanctioning. 

Questions related to Return to Play should be directed to admin@midwest.rugby.