WITH St Helens going back up to Tier 3 from today along with the rest of Liverpool City Region – here is a list of what it means for grassroots sport in the borough.

The restrictions do not apply to elite sports so Saints will be allowed to resume training as planned in January ahead of the season's start in March.

Given LCR is now surrounded by Tier 4 areas in Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester this too will affect the functioning of the grassroots leagues, participation and spectating.

Football's North West Counties League has already been indefinitely suspended, whilst the Cheshire Football League has suspended all fixtures with the exception of those limited ones involving teams from Liverpool City Region.

In tier 3 areas, organised outdoor sport is exempt from legal gathering limits and can take place in any number, but modifications to high-risk activities should be made in tier 3 areas.

In in tier 3 areas organised outdoor team sport and outdoor exercise classes, as well as outdoor licensed physical activity, can happen with any number of participants, as long as undertaken in line with published COVID-secure guidance. This includes personal training and sport coaching. Participants should adhere to social distancing when not actively participating (e.g. during breaks in play, or when awaiting substitutions).

In tier 3 areas sports which involve high-risk elements (such as prolonged face proximity) may have to be modified to be played safely.

This will include changes to limit contact activity for some sports such as rugby, in both training and matches.

Other sports which involve close contact between participants, such as other team sports, can continue with matches as normal, but teams should minimise physical contact between participants during training sessions. National governing bodies of the relevant sports will set out guidance on the modifications needed to allow training and matches in tier 3 areas.

However, organised indoor sport is not exempt from legal gathering limits.

In tier 3 areas, organised indoor sport can only take place in line with the legal gathering limits for that tier.

Participants should follow the guidance below and adhere to social distancing when not actively participating (e.g. during breaks in play, or when awaiting substitutions).

In tier 3 areas people should not take part in any indoor sport or physical activity with people from outside their household. This includes indoor team and individual sports, training sessions and exercise classes. Personal training is permitted for 1:1 sessions only (unless all participants are from the same household or support bubble), and should not take place in private houses. Gyms and sport facilities will remain open, but group activities are not permitted (unless the group consists of a single household or bubble). Contact combat sports are not permitted unless socially distanced.

The limits do not apply to people with disabilities, sport for educational purposes and supervised activities (including sport and physical activity) for under-18s, which can continue with any number of participants. This includes young people who were under 18 on 31 August 2020, even if they turn 18 during the remainder of the academic year.

Organised indoor sport is only permitted where it is for educational purposes or supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s (including those who were under 18 on 31 August 2020) that enables parents/carers to work or seek work, or to participate in education. More information on what is permitted in tier 4 areas can be found in the tier 4 section above.

Informal or self-organised sport and physical activity can only take place within legal gathering limits - both indoors and outdoors.

This means in tier 3 areas this can only take place within households or support bubbles indoors and outdoors (except in some public outdoor places such as parks and sports facilities, where people can meet in groups of up to 6).

Organised sport participation events such as races and organised walks can take place outdoors but must adhere to legal gathering limits and follow COVID-secure guidance (set out in guidance for the safe provision of grassroots sport.

In tier 3 areas organised sport participation events can take place outdoors, but only if participants do not mix with people from outside their household or support bubble (except in some public outdoor places, including outdoor sports grounds and facilities, where people can meet in groups of up to 6).

Social interaction before and after playing any sport should be extremely limited and only take place in line with legal gathering limits and other relevant restrictions. You should check the rules which apply to your local area.

The Government advices notes: "Observing the rules during play but then disregarding them after (e.g. by socialising in breach of the wider restrictions) is unlawful, irresponsible and jeopardises both public health and the case for safe sport to continue.

"National governing bodies are expected to remind participants of this and consider sanctions within the sport if not followed."

In tier 3 areas indoor and outdoor sport facilities such as gyms/leisure centres, courts and pitches can remain open, except indoor skating rinks which must close.

However measures to control the infection rate may restrict the number of people who can gather, the activities that can take place, and the services that can be provided (such as food and drink sales). These are set out in the guidance for sport facility operators.

After going through personal health checks for Covid, check if your sport is safe to play, and if there are modifications

Before participating in any sporting activity, you should check whether your sport is safe to play. Every sport’s national governing body should have published guidance on how to participate safely. You should ensure you are following the national governing body’s latest guidance, and follow any measures put in place by the sport provider or event organiser, even where this means modifications to the game.

In addition to this, team sports and contact combat sports (such as boxing, wrestling and martial arts) will need to have their action plans approved before they can resume contact activity (advice for sports on how to do this is set out in the guidance for safe provision of grassroots sport. The sports which have been approved will be listed at the bottom of that page.

If you want to participate in a team sport or a contact combat sport, you should check they have received approval (the list is included in the guidance. If they are not listed, you should not participate in team sports in numbers above the legal gathering limits, or contact within combat sports in any number, until they have been approved.

Sports in which people primarily compete as individuals (such as tennis or golf) are not listed as they do not need to submit their action plans for approval, but you should ensure you are following the sport’s published guidance on how to participate safely.

In tier 3 areas you are advised not to travel into or out of tier 3 areas, including for sport, unless this is necessary to enable individual exercise (or exercise for people from the same household or support bubble).

Where this is necessary (for example to access a green space for a run or cycle), you should only travel a short distance and stay as local as possible.

Travel is also permitted where it is necessary to enable sport for disabled people, sport for educational purposes, or supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s, to take place, but should still be minimised and kept to short distances only.

Indoors (tiers 1, 2 and 3): the limits on organised indoor sport do not apply to people with disabilities, sport for educational purposes and supervised activities (including sport and physical activity) for under-18s, which can continue with any number of participants. This includes young people who were under 18 on 31 August 2020, even if they turn 18 during the remainder of the academic year.

Supporters, parents, and other spectators must adhere to legal gathering limits whilst attending events.

In tier 3 people cannot mix with others from outside their household or support bubble indoors. Outdoors, people cannot mix with others from outside their household or support bubble in a private garden or most public outdoor venues.

However people can meet in groups of up to 6 in public outdoor spaces, including outdoor sport grounds and facilities.

Spectators at outdoor sport grounds and facilities should be spaced evenly around the perimeter of the playing area, maintaining at least a 2m distance between groups, and should be no more than one row deep. For sports grounds with stands or fixed seating areas, spectators should also be spaced evenly around the perimeter of the playing area, rather than concentrated in the fixed seating area.

If spectators do not follow these legal requirements, the club or provider can ask them to leave or not to attend again. Where there are serious or consistent issues with spectators, the sport’s national governing body may consider sanctions including suspending the relevant sport provider from running any leagues, matches, training sessions or other events or activities until this has been addressed.

There is an additional risk of infection where people are shouting or singing in close proximity to others (particularly indoors and when face-to face). Spectators should minimise shouting or raising their voices.