Abbeydale Sports Club

Message from the Chairman

Further to my previous messages in March and April I am pleased to be able to report that as ‘ lockdown ‘ is relaxed more and more of us will be able to enjoy use of the facilities at Abbeydale Sports Club. With the help of those of you who have continued to pay subscriptions through the lockdown period we have been able to maintain the site in good condition and we anticipate that they will be fit to be used as soon as the go ahead is given.

When the lockdown began in March, all sporting activity at Abbeydale was suspended.  Since the end of May there has been a phased, safe return to sporting activity for the outdoor sports.

• The Bowling club currently allow 2 groups on the green at a time.

• Hockey have 2 groups of up to 6 people playing on either end of the astro pitch.

• Cricket are playing out of 2 nets with up to 6 people and have some small group skills training on the outfield.

The Rugby club are training in accordance with RFU guidelines.

As it stands, all indoor sport is not permitted however Table Tennis, Badminton and the Gym and Squash clubs are at an advanced stage of planning to reopen when allowed.

The safety of participants, coaches and staff remain paramount.  All activity is risk assessed in line with the relevant national governing body advice and guidelines. Measures taken so far include:-

• A full risk assessment being in place and communicated to all;

• A booking system being in place to ensure group sizes are adhered to;

• The booking system identifies all participants to aid the NHS track and trace procedures;

• Strict hand sanitising procedures are in place;

• A responsible adult is present to ensure compliance during any activity.

In terms of the position of individual sports I will leave it to the Sections to inform their members what is possible for their particular sports as they receive guidance from the government and their sporting bodies.

I thought I should clarify the position with regard to the bar and catering facilities. We have had discussions with Omega at Abbeydale who, as you will be aware, operate the Pavilion/Clubhouse. They propose to re-open with a food led operation on 15 July 2020 and accordingly the Pavilion remains closed until then.

It will re-open on the following days / hours:-

•             Wednesday – Saturday lunchtime 12 -3pm

•             Thursday – Saturday evenings 5 – 9pm.

The restaurant will be open for food and drinks service during these times for advance bookings only.  As part of the social distancing requirements, the current bar area will be used for the purposes of food service only. 

Members who wish to come for a drink only may book a table indoors in the Hargreaves  Room and must obey the Government rules on group size and  social distancing.    There will be no indoor provision for people who do not book.  Members will be able to come and drink outside on the patio or grass without booking in advance, again observing Government rules.

Booking will be direct with Omega at Abbeydale.  Further information on booking and how to order drinks will be communicated to members prior to re-opening.

The Omega and Abbeydale staff have all undertaken Covid 19 training on infection control  and cleaning principles and a full risk assessment is being developed which guides how the Clubhouse operates.  We would ask all members to follow all requests and procedures and obey any social distancing marks which may be in place.

As more sporting activity returns to Abbeydale and as more people are allowed to return to the site to enjoy their sports we will hopefully be able to expand our offering for the benefit of all our members.  Accordingly,the opening hours and what is available will be kept under review and we will keep you informed of developments.

Once again thank you for your continued support which has helped to ensure that Abbeydale Park will continue to be able to provide the facilities we all enjoy in the future.

Richard Ibbotson

2 July 2020