Any other volunteer sports coaches here? How's the reduced lockdown life going?

[MrsAvocet]

Just wondering how anyone who is a coach (or indeed any other kind of volunteer within youth sports) is finding the transition back to activities?
I'm currently up to my ears in risk assessments, communication strategies,trying to source PPE etc and am finding it a bit soul destroying to be honest. I'm getting complaints, in roughly equal measures, that our proposed safety measures are too restrictive and that they don't go far enough. That I am sending out too much information and that I am not communicating enough. Most of what we are proposing is either the decision of our national governing body or our landlords anyway so we don't have a lot of leeway but there's a fair bit of messenger shooting going on. I think people sometimes forget that we are volunteers, have our own jobs, families, health worries and so on, and that we never envisaged having to manage anything like this. Half of me feels like throwing the towel in but I don't want to let the kids down and I really enjoy the actual coaching.
I would love to hear from volunteers in any sport about how things are going in your club, how have your members adapted, and if you have any top tips, please share them.
Hope everyone is managing ok, and thanks to all volunteers for their efforts.

It must be so stressful, I work in sports and it's hard enough but to be doing it on top of everything else is tough. Just remember why you do it in the first place, presumably you enjoy the kids and the sport. My son is so keen to get back to any form of his sport so keep doing what you are doing, everyone s anxieties will come out in different ways. Hopefully you have some other coaches you can talk to and share experiences so you are not reinventing the wheel.

Thanks for your reply horseymum. Yes, I do like the kids and the sport which kind of adds to the problem. What we are going to be able to offer is a lot less than our "normal" and I worry about it putting them off, especially the littlest ones who are my normal coaching group. Its difficult to see how I can keep them happy and interested within the limitations. Just little stuff, like I use stickers a lot, and my sessions always finish with a silly game during which they collect in all the cones etc and then they each get a "I helped Coach Avo" sticker. I can't do that now. They can't touch the cones. I can't give them a sticker. It will make no difference whatsoever to what they are learning, but they love it, its what they expect and its very much "me". Our governing body has given us lots of advice on risk management, first aid and all that kind of stuff but nobody seems to be talking about how it impacts on our actual interaction with the children, especially the younger ones. A lot of clubs are just limiting to their older age groups, which is probably sensible and we may have to do the same, but amongst the moans I have had quite a few from the parents of "my" kids, saying "Joey is so excited to come back, can't wait to see you again". Most of the complaints have been from the older age group. So I am a bit conflicted!
Ah well. We will just have to see how it goes.