The beginning of a return to general training at the Club (5th June)

Like all athletics clubs, we were delighted with the news announced by Government on Friday 5th June that increased the size of outdoor training groups from 4 to 15 and extended the distance we can travel to train from 5k to 20k. From 8th June, everyone in the Club can potentially return to training. We say potentially, because there are still age restrictions of no younger than 13 and no older than 70, and the limit of group size to 15 (one coach and 14 athletes) and even a limit on the number of groups at the Club at the same time, means we can’t have hundreds training at the Club at the same time like we were used to before Covid-19. Recent trial sessions with groups of 4 worked well and we’re NOW going to try sessions with a few groups of 15 and see how it works. It’s going to be challenging getting everyone eligible back to training at the Club and we’re going to have to do things differently for some time, so we’re asking everyone to remain patient for now.

Part of the Athletics Ireland protocols we must follow is robust contact tracing. This means everyone that is going to train at the Club must pre-register for each session and their attendance recorded when they arrive. The link to pre-register is e-mailed to members, so it’s vital that we have the correct e-mail address. If the Club coaches don’t have your mobile number and e-mail, they won’t be able to contact you and invite you to sessions. The response to the request to update contact details remains patchy, a little over one third have submitted their up to date details, so we’ll repeat it. All Club members, or their parents or guardians, need to send an e-mail to info@mullingarharriers.com, using “contact” as the subject, with phone number, e-mail address and home address (with Eircode, if known). This request applies to everyone in the Club. When reviewing the responses so far, of interest is that quite a few e-mail addresses are different to what the Club had on record. How can we e-mail you the link to pre-register for training if we don’t have your correct e-mail address? Without confirming these contact details, you will not be allowed to attend training sessions at the club grounds. In fact, you won’t even be contacted and invited in the first place, so it’s up to you.