January 22, 2021

Dear Club and League Representatives:

Today, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a new Emergency Order under MCL 333.2253 – Gatherings and Face Mask Order, which will be in effect through February 21, 2021. Section 6 of the MDHHS Emergency Order, which details ‘Organized sports gathering restrictions,’ remains unchanged.

Thus, from now through February 21, indoor and outdoor gatherings for the purpose of non-contact sports continue to be permitted, provided that 1) Gatherings do not exceed 25% of the total occupancy limits established by the State Fire Marshal or a local fire marshal; and 2) Participants maintain 6 feet of distance from each other at all times. Also, all participants, including team officials, in gatherings for any exercise activities, group fitness, or organized sports must wear a facial covering at all times, except for swimming-based sports.

As a reminder, gatherings for the purpose of organized contact sports are still prohibited unless all participants, teams, and venues comply with the enhanced testing regimen specified in the Testing and Additional Mitigation Measures for Athletic Practice and Play During Statewide Athletics ‘Pause’ section of MDHHS’s document entitled Interim Guidance for Athletics.

For now, and as a result of the MDHHS Emergency Order, tryouts for MSYSA’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) teams have been postponed, again. MSYSA will share our future ODP, ODP 101 and ODP Goalkeeper programming plans with registered participants in the near future.

With the help of U-M School of Public Health (UMSPH), MSYSA has updated our Return to Play Guidelines (Click Here). Based on the current MDHHS Emergency Order, we are currently in Phase 4.5 of our Return to Play chart. In addition, both MSYSA and UMSPH have updated FAQ documents to assist with the many questions you may have. The MSYSA FAQs can be found here and the UMSPH FAQs can be found here.

In closing, team travel out of state for games and/or tournaments is still not recommended at this time. Teams that choose to travel out of state for games and/or tournaments, including teams in US Youth Soccer’s National League Conferences, must comply with local and state health department orders as established in the state(s) they are playing in. Teams must also comply with the applicable Return-To-Play (RTP) guidelines in other states.

Your continued patience is appreciated as we navigate the path forward with the help of public health officials.

Sincerely,

Thomas Faro
Executive Director

cc.:      MSYSA Board of Directors