By the end of May, spring youth sports in Germantown are typically wrapping up their seasons; however, this spring that is simply not the case.
In mid-March, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced all sports leagues to push the pause button on the season.
During a media briefing on Monday, the Shelby County Health Department announced its recommendation to move to Phase 2 of the county-wide Back to Business Plan.
In anticipation of this latest announcement, the Germantown Parks and Recreation Department has been working with all youth sports providers to finalize clear safety plans for the reinstatement of youth sports within the community.
Various sports leagues, such as youth baseball, soccer and lacrosse, are expected to resume activity by next week.
“Our sports providers have been busy preparing for a new kind of play – one that includes social distancing and measures for ensuring the safety of players, coaches, officials and spectators,” stated Parks and Recreation Director Pam Beasley. “The Parks and Recreation department has been working hard to assist the leagues with their return to play plans,” added Beasley.
At this time, all trails, park restrooms, tennis courts and open spaces parks remain open and accessible to the public. In addition, the Houston Levee Skate Park, Forgey Dog Park, the disc golf course at Johnson Road Park and the Bobby Lanier Farm Park are also open to the public.
“We know that many have been wondering about playgrounds. All playgrounds, the outdoor multi-purpose sports court at Farmington Park, public water fountains and rental facilities remain closed at this time.”
These public spaces are not staffed and do not allow for proper cleaning and disinfecting in between each public use. Given the concerns around COVID-19 being spread through surfaces, playgrounds and play structures will remain closed for the time being in an effort to continue to reduce community spread.
In the meantime, staff from the Parks and Recreation department are working diligently to bring back some limited recreational programming that would allow for small gatherings during the summer.
Announcements regarding this programming will be made soon.
