Study: Preventative Measures Needed In Return of Youth Sports

According to a new nationwide study, parents believe preventative measures must be raised in order to have the proper return of youth sports.

Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana, in conjunction with the IUPUI Sports Innovation Institute, surveyed more than 10,000 parents, coaches, players, and administrators on what changes need to be made at youth sports facilities in order for them to feel safe.

The results, posted in an article published on InsideIndianaBusiness.com, noted that more than 90 percent of respondents were parents — and the early indications touched on event staff wearing masks, and the availability of health screenings at facilities.

youth sports“Some of the biggies that are just fundamentally important and really classified as things that, you know, the more of this that people see, the safer they feel would be visible and increased sanitization practices by the venues and that includes lobbies, common areas, high-touch areas,” IUPUI Sports Innovation Institute director Dr. David Pierce told IIB.com. “On the event operator side of things and the league side, the sanitization practices of playing areas and equipment.”

Although the full survey results won’t be released until later in June, early results showed seeing others engage in social distancing practices and treating event staff who are trying to enforce such policies with respect scored high on the survey.

Additionally, respondents said they were strong against having no spectators at games.

Grand Park director William Knox told IIB.com that there will be significant costs to implementing additional policies and procedures.

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“For some facilities, it may not be as much. We’re a 400-acres campus with a multitude of fields, so, therefore, it just amplifies that from our standpoint. We’ve already put ourselves in a position where we’ve cut a lot of our projections, but…this is going to be paramount for us because this is going to instill confidence in our consumers that we’ve provided a safe environment for them to come back and play,” Knox told the website.

To read the full story from InsideIndianaBusiness.com on the Grand Park/IUPUI study, click here. The full results from the Grand Park/IUPUI study should be released later this week and can be found here