No more than 10

Netball: Waikohu goal attack Arahia Ruru catches the ball under pressure from High School Old Girls goal keep Arna Majstrovic in Gisborne premier-grade netball last year. HSOG won this game 65-38. Winter club sport is likely to start in Gisborne from about the end of this month. Pictures by Paul Rickard

The 10-person limit on gatherings in Alert Level 2 applies to all community sport, Sport New Zealand has confirmed.

That means May 30 is likely to be the earliest start date for club competition in rugby, netball, football, hockey and basketball.

Sport NZ chief executive Peter Miskimmin said his organisation had worked closely with the major winter codes around how and when they were best able to get their seasons under way.

“What has come through clearly from those discussions is the importance of having an initial phase of preparation before play can start,” Miskimmin said.

“We anticipate it being possible for competitions to be able to start from around May 30, subject to New Zealand's continued containment of Covid-19 and the advice of the Director-General of Health.

“Some sports may choose to take longer to start competitions depending on their specific circumstances.”

Many sports were in a “get ready” phase where they would put in place what was needed to start safely, Miskimmin said.

As training numbers were able to increase, sports would enter a “prepare to play” phase to get athletes ready to compete.

Some sports might be able to return sooner. From tomorrow sports could train and play subject to the combined number of players, coaches and/or officials not exceeding 10 and appropriate physical distancing guidelines being observed.

“Where this is possible, we are encouraging sports and teams to take time to look at how they can operate effectively within the 10-person limit and adhere to public guidelines around hygiene, contact-tracing, physical distancing and gatherings,” Miskimmin said.

“It's important everyone is patient as this will help to keep New Zealanders safe. We don't want sport to be the reason we go backwards in alert levels.”

He said professional sports teams were not covered by this guidance. They were being treated in line with guidance on workplaces, and had indicated that their competitions would start in June.

Updated Level 2 guidelines for physical activity are available at sportnz.org.nz.