Archery GB delighted at news ranges can reopen

Archery GB is pleased to see outdoor sports facilities, including archery ranges, will be allowed to open from 29 March, following PM Boris Johnson's announcement about the route out of lockdown.

As the national governing body for the sport of archery, we have lobbied for the sport to be one of the first to resume given its socially distanced nature and health benefits.

We will update our guidance for clubs and archers once we receive further detail on the resumption of outdoor sport from DCMS. The date for reopening is subject to the conditions on vaccines, infection rates and new coronavirus variants being met.

We're also pleased that after school sports and activities will resume from 8 March as we believe there are strong benefits for young people in trying archery via youth organisations.

The government has indicated indoor sports facilities will reopen on 12 April, if strict conditions are met. We will update you about when indoor archery can resume as soon as further details are announced by the government.

Today's announcement is for archery clubs in England.

• In Northern Ireland lockdown restrictions have been extended until 1 April. The Stormont Executive published its pathway-to-recovery blueprint on 1 March
• In Wales the lockdown has been extended for three weeks when the government will consider next steps for easing restrictions
• In Scotland the First Minister has announced a route out of lockdown. Scottish Archery will continue to issue guidance around the lifting of restrictions
• Archery GB is currently running a spring webinar programme and weekly fitness videos to help keep our members active in lockdown
• Don't forget that coaches, judges and ontarget clubs have access to Learning Curve - our online community that has a growing collection of videos, articles, micro-learning courses, and resources on a variety of topics that matter to you. The platform also gives you the opportunity to have friendly and constructive discussions with AGB staff and each other

Neil Armitage, CEO of Archery GB, says: "The government clearly faced an extremely difficult decision regarding the timing of reopening the economy and allowing grassroots sports to resume and we are delighted with the outcome of today's announcement.

Â"As we said in our lobbying, archery is a sport which, by its very nature, relies on social distancing for safety and an archer can turn up at their club and shoot without coming anywhere near someone from outside their household. In addition, archers and coaches follow an appropriate PPE protocol and all venues have installed track and trace while reducing potential touchpoints.

Â"Archery clubs cater for the needs of people of all abilities, once fully reopened they can provide a vital facility for disabled archers seeking to reclaim their lives post lockdown.

Â"Finally, archery is extremely beneficial to mental as well as physical well-being, encouraging concentration and focus which helps many participants to manage stress.

Â"Fundamentally the benefits of archery are overwhelming so we are delighted we will be allowed to resume outdoor sport from 29 March."

[caption id="attachment_25379" align="alignnone" width="300"] Outdoor archery ranges will be able to open on 29 March in England[/caption]