YOUTH SESSIONS at Whitehaven RL’s ground have been pushed back due to Covid-19 concerns as cases are rising in the area.

The LEL Arena is home to expert rugby league coaching as Whitehaven RL has struck a deal with Super League club Hull FC.

The first session took place last week but the club has had to push back their next sessions - which support the development of under 14s and under 16s players in the area - due to rising Covid cases.

Chief executive officer Andrew Canavan said: “One of the two teams came down with only 12 because they had some isolation issues.”

Haven bosses are concerned about the situation with Covid-19 cases and the number of people isolating in the area.

“We just thought we’d give it a couple of weeks to see if things can calm down.

He said: “At the minute it’s a lot of the younger people isolating. We’re trying to give it a couple of weeks to get them down and make sure people can attend those days.”

The next training session has been re-scheduled for Tuesday August 3, for Lowca and Maryport under 16s.

Rugby league legend and Hull FC development officer Lee Crooks has been leading the sessions.

Whitehaven decided to begin the “centre of excellence” with Hull this Summer to “strike while the iron is hot” but sessions are likely to take place throughout the year.

However, with infections rising and “Freedom Day” taking place on Monday, Haven are doing their bit for the community.

“It’s affective every walk of life at the minute.”

Whitehaven RL’s clash with Oldham on Sunday is set to be closer to the usual match day experience but with some measures left in place.

Canavan said: “Speaking to our ground safety teams, we are keeping with the capacity we had for Covid, we don’t want to be a hub where lots of people get pinged because they’ve been to the game. We’ve got three really important games coming up and the last thing we need is a depleted squad.” However, the public will be able to pay on the day if they wish, masks are mandatory and the bar will reopen.

Canavan said: “We’re just trying to keep it as safe as possible, we just think it’s the right thing for the area.”

Whitehaven RL clash with Oldham on Sunday at a crucial period in the Betfred Championship, the Coach Road squad have a real opportunity to put daylight between themselves and their rivals.