Knox Little Athletics Centre Inc.

The Premier announced on Sunday 22nd November some Covid changes to community sport. The changes included that group sizes can be up to 50, and an overall 500 patron cap has been introduced.
LAVic have, released the updated protocols which can be found here.
 https://lavic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/LAVic-All-Victoria-COVID-19-Protocols-v5-24.11.20.pdf

The key changes to the protocols are the following:

Patrons defined as:  all in attendance at sanctioned competition and training, inclusive of all Centre & Club Committee members, officials, coaches, athletes, parents, siblings, and spectators.

The maximum number of patrons attending a sanctioned Little Athletics activity must not exceed 500 at any one time.

A maximum density quotient of 1 patron per 4 square metres applies to all areas.

Face masks must be carried at all times by all patrons 12 years of age and older, and worn if physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained.

We have sought advice from LAVic as to what the 500 patron cap means to our Centre and how it is to be applied.  LAVic have confirmed that the 500 cap applies to all persons within the venue, and it includes all committee members both centre and clubs, volunteers, officials, parents and athletes as defined above.  

This has a significant effect on our Centre at Knox, and we must adhere to new requirements from this weekend to ensure that we stay under 500 patrons at the venue.

To ensure fairness to all registered athletes, so that they have an opportunity to compete on the weekend and to comply the 500 patron cap, the Executive Committee has introduced the following for this weekend:

• Only Registered athletes or athletes who are trialing can attend. Siblings who are not registered must not attend. 
• U10-U16 age group – 1 Parent only, even if they are on duty. It is expected that athletes in these age groups can manage themselves to get to events. Club Team Managers will assist to ensure their clubs athletes are heading to events when called.
• U6-U9 age group – 1 Parent only, unless they are on duty, only then can a second parent attend to supervise young children to events.
• Trialing athletes – 1 Parent only. 

NO OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS ARE PERMITTED – Please ensure you do not invite grandparents or other family members to spectate. 
No additional spectators will be permitted and they will be turned away at the entry gate.

CSO’s will be on the gate this weekend, checking with families as they enter, and will be keeping a count of numbers as people come through. If the above limitations are not followed, the Centre may limit entry and turn people away.

We understand that this is going to place extra requirements on families, particularly those that have younger children that cannot attend, and may limit some families ability to attend Little Athletics.

IT’S HERE! WE HAVE ARRIVED.

With our first competition day on Saturday, there are a few things that the Centre would like everyone to be aware of for a smooth start to the season.

This week is Program A and starts at 8.30 sharp. An opening ceremony will be held from 10am and the program will resume at the completion of the ceremony.

Athletes are reminded to wear their competition club singlets, and wear the name patches pinned to the front of the top. New and trialing athletes should wear comfortable sports wear to compete in.
Club team managers will receive name patches tomorrow morning to hand out to their athletes that registered and paid prior to Thursday. Registered Athletes will need to head to their club first to collect their name patch before starting events. Trialing athletes will receive a temporary patch from the registration desk when they arrive.

Covid Safety
Covid Safety Rules must be adhered to. Please take the time to read through and familiarise yourselves with our requirements. We expect all families to comply with these rules. You can get further information on our Covid 19 page here
Please limit movement around the track unless escorting children to events. Remember to be socially distant while you at your clubs, as well as while you are moving around the venue. Covid Safety Officers will be in place to ensure everyone is complying with protocols. Please follow their directions.

Venue Entry
Entry to the venue on Saturday morning is via the Grandstand entry gates (Southern End). You will not be able to access the venue via the turnstile end. Contact tracing sign in will be in place.
Please ensure you arrive early to have enough time to sign in. QR codes will be posted near the entry for people to use. There will be a manual sign available as well.
The QR is available on the Knox LAC website here for people to print and keep with them. You can then use when you arrive to sign in and avoid delays at the the entry gate. Covid Safety Officers will be on duty at the entry gate to ensure everyone entering signs in for covid contact tracing.

Please note – No spectators are permitted. Only athletes, officials and parents required for duty are to attend. Additional parents/guardians are permitted for the purposes of supervising children if needed. No additional family members or spectators are permitted.

Signing In for Duty
Parents on duty are reminded that they must also sign in for duty. The duty sign in table will be located at the end of the shade sails at the Pavillon end as per last season. Please ensure you have signed in by 8.15am, at your event by 8.25am, and ready to start at 8.30am. We suggest arriving early to sign in for duty.

Canteen Service
Due to the covid restrictions in place for indoor areas, the canteen will only have a limited service. There will be no coffee service from the canteen until restrictions are eased. Please note that the social distancing must be adhered to if buying anything from the canteen.

Lets stay safe and have a great first meet at little aths!

Athletes wanting to compete this Saturday 21 November 2020 will need to be registered & paid by Thursday 19 November to receive their Subway competition patch on Saturday.

Athlete registrations received after Thursday night will not have their subway competition patch ready for this Saturday and you will need to see the Registrar for a temporary patch on the day prior to competition starting.

New Athletes who are trialling can obtain a temporary competition patch from the Registrar who will be located at the Knox Tent in front of the presentation area on the day.

Club Team Managers: Your clubs subway patches will be distributed to you on Saturday morning for you to hand out to your club athletes prior to competition starting.

If you are attending training tonight please remember that coaches must limit their training group sizes to 10 or less to meet the current covid protocols. If you haven’t already done so please contact the particular coach you wish to train with and ensure you have a spot in a group. If you just turn up, you maybe turned away or asked to wait and start at a later time.

Remember to sign in for contact tracing at the entrance. Entry is only available via the turnstile at the pavilion end. QR codes for signing in will be posted at the entrance.

Covid Safety officers will be on duty at the entry to help.

AWESOME to see little athletics back at Knox!

The tryout day yesterday was a great success with over 200 families signing in and over 120 new families trying out for the first time. It was a great start to the 2020/21 season and the atmosphere of the morning was fantastic.

Thank you to our chiefs, officials, and volunteers who put in an outstanding effort during the morning to ensure that the event ran well. Shout out to our older athletes that also helped out during the morning.

Next Saturday (21 November 2020) is the first weekend of formal competition, Program A starting at 8.30 sharp. Please arrive early to ensure you have enough time to sign in. Remember, covid safety protocols are in place.