EPL Players to Train with Mask when they resume

EPL players will have to cover their faces as part of new rules to allow a safe return to full training. This is in accordance to the new document which is stated in the ‘Project Restart.’ The English Premier League clubs will be meeting on Friday to further discuss the resumption date.

Proposals have been drafted by Premier League director of football Richard Garlick but a return to training will only happen with the agreement of the government. The plans to resume the league includes testing all players and officials 48 hours before returning to training and they will also be tested for potential respiratory problems associated with coronavirus.

The England Football Authority also gave other proposals before the EPL Players can resume and they include:

• All footballs, global positioning system [GPS] units, cones, corner flags, goalposts and other equipment to be disinfected before and after use by staff wearing personal protective equipment [PPE]
• EPL Players are to wear snood/masks at all times
• Cars to be parked three spaces apart
• No massages unless approved by club doctor
• Fluids to be left at designated pick-up points
• Only visit training block to use toilet
• Initially only five players per training group
• Players to be given designated time slots and 15 minutes to prepare
• 75 minutes of small group training
• 15 minutes’ recovery
• Players and staff will be banned from spitting at the training ground

Clubs will also be presented with proposals to test players and officials at least twice a week, subject to government approval. The proposals have been drafted by Premier League medical advisor Dr Mark Gillett, following close consultation with other European leagues, including La Liga in Spain and Bundesliga in Germany.

But testing will only be done on the understanding it does not compromise the testing of key workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The tests will be paid for by the Premier League and privately sourced, so it does not take any resources from public health needs. EPL players will be be completely tested and will all use mask if they want to resume the league as planed.