AQI POLICY
In accordance with agreed upon guidelines with our CSA and MKS Partner Clubs, the following is our policy for Poor Air Quality Conditions:
- RPSC will review multiple sources (e.g. EPA Air Now and Purple Air) reporting the Air Quality Index (AQI) for the Sacramento region.
- All games, practices, and Club activities will be cancelled with a reported AQI of 130 or greater.
- RPSC may elect to cancel activities with a lower reported AQI based on a review of other factors, such as:
- Excessive heat conditions.
- Elevated AQI readings over multiple days.
- Steadily rising AQI conditions, or forecasted AQI conditions that would exceed the AQI threshold of 130.
These policies have been established because youth athlete health and safety is a top priority for RPSC. RPSC also recognizes each athlete's health and safety is ultimate your responsibility, so we will respect any individual decision to pull an athlete out of any activity if you deem that the environmental conditions are unhealthy for their participation. If your athlete suffers from a medical condition that places them at higher risk for participation in either Excessive Heat or Poor Air Quality (e.g. asthma), and you are comfortable divulging medical information to the Club, please let you coach know so that we can properly manage their safety on the field.
In the event of an All-Club cancellation/field closure due high heat or poor air quality, an All-Club email will be sent and a Facebook message will be posted.
HIgh Heat policy
In accordance with agreed upon guidelines with our CSA and MKS Partner Clubs, the following is our policy for Excessive Heat Conditions:
- Games
- When game time temperatures are between 95-102 F, extra water breaks will be added during each half of play. There will be a minimum of one water break per half. The timing and duration of the water breaks are at the discretion of the referee.
- At a game time temperature of 103 F, the game will be cancelled.
- Referees can cancel a game for excessive heat conditions at a temperature below 103 F at their discretion.
- Practices and Other Club Activities
- Cancellation of practices and other Club activities is at the discretion of the RPSC Board and individual team coaches, but generally follow the above policies for games.
- At temperatures at or above 95 F, coaches are required to provide more frequent water breaks during practices, lessen intensity of drills, and utilize shade on the fields when taking breaks.
- The RPSC Board will consider the cancellation of practices and field closures at temperatures at or above 100 F, based on evaluation of other environmental factors (presence of wind, forecasted temperatures during the duration of practice times)
- All practices and activities will be cancelled at temperatures at or above 103 F, no exceptions.
- Coaches have discretion to cancel individual practices at temperatures above 95 F.