No heading drills, throw-ins and tackles? No problem.
Small-group training? Sure!
Despite new restrictions, Singapore Premier League (SPL) footballers just cannot wait to get their feet back on the ball, as clubs will be able to resume training at designated stadiums from today.
This is after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced guidelines and measures for the safe return to footballing activities in a Zoom session with general managers from SPL clubs yesterday.
These include having only four training areas on the pitch, in which each area can have a maximum of five players and one coach.
Circuit training is allowed, but equipment must be sanitised before the next group uses it in rotation.
Players and coaches are discouraged from heading drills, throw-ins and physical contact during training, while the use of changing rooms and gyms is not allowed before or after sessions.
The overarching national sports facilities guidelines, announced ahead of their reopening in Phase 2 yesterday, will apply.
These include the restriction of operating capacity to 10 sq m per person, or a maximum of 50 people for stadiums, maintaining a social distance of at least 2m between individuals and 3m between groups, temperature screenings, and the implementation of SafeEntry.
Hougang United midfielder M. Anumanthan is glad to shelve his combative nature for the time being, as the Cheetahs look to resume training at Hougang Stadium on Monday for the first time since the SPL was suspended on March 24.
The 25-year-old told The Straits Times: "I'm excited because it has become boring. It was good to stay active via individual workouts during the circuit breaker. But football is meant to be played on the pitch and I'm ready to put Zoom sessions behind me.
"Football fitness is different from just running on a track or treadmill, and there is also a psychological factor to being able to train on the pitch, even in a small group.
"It is fine if we don't tackle or take throw-ins for now, we just have to adapt and do other technical and tactical work.
"There are real reasons why restrictions are in place, and things can only get better and open up more when we work together and be socially responsible."
To get priority use of designated stadiums, SPL clubs must appoint a safe management officer and submit their training plans and group rosters to the FAS, which will then liaise with Sport Singapore for the bookings.
To avoid mingling, changing of group members is not allowed until further notice by the authorities. This may present a challenge for coaches who want to work on different combinations.
But Tampines Rovers coach Gavin Lee insisted he is happy to compromise as his team are set to return to Our Tampines Hub today.
The 29-year-old said: "All we want to do is get back on the pitch in the safest possible way. The current format beats staying at home, and it applies for every team.
"The priority is to get the players used to playing football again. This has not been a normal off-season because we have had minimal football. The players need their ankle joints to be exposed to football action again to minimise the risk of injury. As a team, we will split the team into position-specific groups and plan exercises and drills catered towards their positions."
Albirex Niigata general manager Koh Mui Tee also saw few reasons to complain as his side were already training in small groups earlier this year when the limit was 10.
He said: "We broke up into groups of seven players and one coach - one would train on the pitch, another would go for a hill run at Bukit Timah, and another would go play beach football at West Coast. Having four groups of five on the same pitch is even better for us now as we can monitor them at one venue.
"This is already a big step forward. If we can demonstrate that we can abide by the rules and build confidence in the local football system, then as long as the Covid-19 cases go down, we will be able to open up more gradually."
In yesterday's Zoom session, FAS general secretary Yazeen Buhari acknowledged that the restrictions are not ideal for professional 11-a-side teams, but said they are necessary in the nation's fight against Covid-19 if the SPL is to resume this year.
Testing for the coronavirus will not be implemented for now, but will be considered at a later stage, when there is a clearer picture of when the league can resume.
The FAS also said its advisory will be reviewed periodically, and the respective authorities will assess the implementation and adherence of the measures, as well as the broader Covid-19 situation at the time before any changes are made.
It added that the guidelines are to be adhered to without compromise by all participants, venue operators, clubs and academies to ensure safety and to minimise the risk of communal infections.
