LA County officials permit organized outdoor sports to resume

EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced this week that organized sports can resume outdoors starting Friday, which includes youth and adult leagues to resume practices and competitions.

"It's very exciting," said Richard Carr, president of the Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation. "It's been a long time since we have had the opportunity to play sports in Southern California."

But some organizations like the athletic federation said it isn't going to be easy to get back up on their feet.

"Youth may have found other interests. So it's going to be important for us to find ways to reengage with them and keep them involved in sports," said Carr.

Burbank is among those who are a part of the athletic federation.

Last year, Burbank launched a limited-access sports program - which they said followed all of the county health guidelines. And with this new guidance, they're looking forward to providing more programs.

"We had to get creative. What can we still do to provide our kids with an experience of recreating and getting outdoors," said Brianna Kerjsi, recreation coordinator at the City of Burbank Recreation Department.

The athletic federation is working closely to bring back more engagement and options for youth sports, all while being safe and following health guidelines.

"As recreation professionals we understand the importance of sports," said Carr. "Safety is our number one priority."

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