ACAC Moves Forward with Preparations for the 2021/22 Season
Story courtesy of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference April 23, 2021 https://www.acac.ab.ca/general/2020-21/releases/20210423q5i0de
April 23, 2021 (Edmonton) – With endorsement from the 17-member institution Presidents on a Return to Sport proposal, the ACAC has been granted approval to draft schedules and commence preparations for the delivery of a 2021-22 season of post-secondary athletics.
Although a measure of uncertainty currently remains about the future state of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is optimism about a return to on-campus, in-person activities by Fall 2021. ACAC has proposed a plan that will transition from this past season of complete cancellation to the cautious and measured re-introduction of post-secondary sport in 2021-22. The long-term objective is to position the ACAC to deliver a more customary season of sport by 2022-23.
Key elements of the ACAC’s 2021-22 schedule planning includes the following:
- Season will commence with outdoor sports no sooner than Sept. 17/21 – Soccer, Cross Country Running, Golf
- Indoor Tournament sports will be played exclusively in the Winter 2022 semester beginning January – Curling, Badminton, Futsal, Indoor Track
- Indoor League sports will commence no sooner than Nov. 12/21 but may be delayed until Jan. 14/22 – Basketball, Hockey, Volleyball
- A decision about the start date for Indoor league sports will be confirmed by Aug. 30/21
- All schedules will be reduced, and play-off formats will be modified during the transition season of 2021-22. Tentative schedules are being developed with the objective to circulate and approve as soon as possible.
- Travel will be reduced. Geographic divisional alignments may be adjusted to reduce travel.
- Decisions about ACAC participation or hosting of CCAA Championships will be confirmed, at a later date.
- Institutions will maintain independent authority to determine the date when student-athletes in any sport can commence on-campus training and practices.
- ACAC Members will retain the option to exercise Manifest Hardship at any time to withdraw from any or all ACAC sport participation at any time for any reason, without sanction or penalty.
- No spectators will be permitted at ACAC indoor competitions until further notice.
Further information will be circulated as planning for the 2021-22 ACAC season evolves.
Protecting the health, safety, and well-being of both the campus community as well as the population at large, remains paramount. Furthermore, no post-secondary sport programming will commence without approval from Alberta Health and Saskatchewan Health authorities, and the ACAC is committed to strict adherence to all government and campus protocols, policies and practices that reduces the transmission of Covid-19.
For more information, contact:
Mark Kosak, CEO
Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
(403) 875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca
About the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference:
Established in 1964 when the founding organization and predecessor to the ACAC, the Western Inter-College Conference (WICC), came into existence with a mandate to regulate, coordinate and promote activities in two major areas – athletics and fine arts. Renamed and incorporated in July 1981 as the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, the members include the four of the five charter members of the ACAC – NAIT, SAIT, Lethbridge Junior College and Camrose Lutheran Junior College, and subsequent members, Red Deer College, Medicine Hat College, Grande Prairie Regional College, Lakeland College, Keyano College, Portage College, Olds College, Concordia University of Edmonton, The King’s University College, Ambrose University, St. Mary’s University, Prairie College, and Briercrest College.
Briercrest College, located in southern Saskatchewan, is the only non-Alberta institution involved in the Conference.
Governance of the ACAC is conducted by a Conference Council consisting of representatives from each of the member institutions, meeting twice annually. An executive committee of seven elected officials has the authority to govern in the interim. The daily business of the Conference is mainly conducted from its offices in Edmonton where an a Coordinator of Finance & Administration and a Operations Manager are employed. The Chief Executive Officer is based out of Calgary while the Conference Commissioner is also located in Edmonton. Full-time staff positions are augmented by contracted individuals who support the ACAC as Conference Writer, ACAC Statistician, and Communications Coordinator.
Base funding for the operations of the ACAC are derived from its membership through a general and individual activity assessments. This base funding is augmented by an annual grant received from the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Sports Connection.