MX23RW : Monday, December 23 19:30:02| >> :600:144272596:144272596:

Scottish football, rugby hoping to move closer to return

Golf, tennis, bowls and fishing will be allowed to restart from Friday

Scottish football and rugby bosses will look for signs of encouragement from Government officials on Friday after the first sports were given approval to return in an easing of the lockdown.

Some non-contact outdoor leisure activities such as golf, tennis, bowls and fishing will be allowed to restart from Friday following an announcement from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

One-to-one coaching for athletes is also allowed if it is outside and physical distancing is maintained.

Group training is still forbidden with all football activity in Scotland previously suspended until June 10.

That deadline is likely to be extended by at least a week but the Scottish Football Association, along with its league counterpart and the Scottish Rugby Union, will continue their quest to convince the Government of the strength of their preparation and plans for a return to action in the coming months.

Representatives of each body will hold talks with Sports Minister Joe Fitzpatrick and Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland's national clinical director.

The Scottish Professional Football League has publicly stated a desire to start next season with the Betfred Cup in July, although that is all but certain not to happen, especially given the heightened problems with Covid-19 testing and lack of gate income for lower-league teams.

However, the SPFL has targeted kicking off the Premiership as planned in early August and SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell stated at the weekend that a return to action was likely during that month.

The sports that can return have all published social-distancing and safety guidelines to help participants.

A Scottish Golf statement read: "We know that this confirmation will be well received by all of our members and will have a positive impact on the physical and mental health of golfers across Scotland in the days and weeks ahead.

"We hope everyone enjoys returning to the fairways and would encourage all golfers to familiarise themselves with the current guidance to ensure we can all return to playing the game safely."

There was more good news for golf fans when the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open was rescheduled for October 8-11, at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

The event was originally meant to be held in July, in the week before the now cancelled Open.

Racing fans have also been given dates for their diary with a resumption planned for Ayr on June 22.

Scottish Racing manager Delly Innes said: "The public can have confidence in our ability to race behind closed doors as safely as possible when the Government allows more industries back to work.

"As a highly regulated industry we have considerable experience of keeping any potential health and safety risks to an absolute minimum.

"We are working with Public Health officials to protect those coming back to work, the local communities in which race meetings take place and the wider public, against the risk of transmission of Covid-19.

"We are fully prepared to stage race meetings in a strictly controlled environment which fully comply with all the requirements of governmental and racing industry bodies, once they decide the time is right to resume racing."

ID:400695: cacheID:400695:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7345:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Tiger Woods in action on October 21, 2019
Read Next:
US Masters postponed due to coronavirus outbreak
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!