Chattanooga, Tn. – This morning, the Chattanooga Red Wolves held their first training since the COVID-19 lockdown. Last week, the Red Wolves received approval from the United Soccer League to return to training while operating under the guidance of local and state health authorities.
“We’re one step closer to soccer,” says Red Wolves GM & President Sean McDaniel. “After the training moratorium was lifted by the USL, we developed a plan under the regulations and guidelines of local and state health authorities to allow our players and technical staff to safely return to training in small groups. The players have been on an intense individual training regiment since the lockdown but now have the ability to safely continue that training at CHI Memorial Stadium per USL training regulations. It’s great to get the guys back out on the pitch to start prepping for what we hope will lead to the return to the 2020 USL season.”
In today’s training session, players were divided into small groups in predetermined time slots in an effort to maintain appropriate social distancing within the practice environment. During these time slots each individual in the group was given a designated area of the field to perform various soccer and fitness activities as provided by the coaching staff.
“We are all very excited about the opportunity of getting back on the field,” says Head Coach Jimmy Obleda. “It’s a glimmer of hope for everyone that we will be playing soon. However, our top focus is to continue to be abundantly cautious and measured on how we operate our training sessions. The most important part is to follow the guidelines set and put everyone’s safety and health as a priority.”