So Now What???
THE GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO HAS PAUSED ALL INDOOR-SOCCER ACTIVITIES UNTIL JAN. 26, 2022, OR UNTIL FURTHER PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
(There you go) tellin’ me “No” again… There you go… There you go…
Keith Sweat
New Jack City ℗ 1991 Giant Records, Manufactured exclusively by Warner Records Inc.
Correct me if I am wrong, haven’t we been down this road before? Did we not know that this was going to happen with case counts soaring through the roof?
All questions that have hit the soccer community in Ontario and a good chunk of the country all over again at the start of 2022.
Today’s announcement that Government of Ontario pauses indoor soccer activity until Jan. 26, 2022, hits everyone where they stand in the game, AGAIN.
Ontario Soccer continues to work in consultation with the Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries as we communicate important government directives and updates related to the current global pandemic.
The Government of Ontario announced on Jan. 3, 2022 that effective Jan. 5, 2022 at 12:01, it will return to a modified Step 2 of the Roadmap to Re-Open Plan, in response to the recent status of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario Soccer has reviewed the new directives with the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and has further confirmed interpretation for our sport.
Among the changes, which impact soccer in Ontario, are the following:
- The Government of Ontario has paused all indoor-soccer activities until Jan. 26, 2022, or until further public health information becomes available.
- All indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities must close, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Presently, League1 Ontario is the only soccer league in Ontario, which is classified by the Government of Ontario as an elite amateur sport league.
- Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
Further, Ontario Soccer has issued the following updates on its provincial leagues and competitions:
- The Ontario Indoor Cup and Ontario Futsal Cup will be postponed, with new dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
- The Provincial Indoor Soccer League (PISL) will also postpone its indoor season, with further information on the remainder of the season to follow at a later date.
As a result of these directives, Ontario Soccer has paused the use of the Return to Play Guide until Jan. 26, 2022, or until further public health information becomes available.
The only leagues that are allowed to continue training are the League 1 Ontario Men’s and Women’s programs, as they are the only ones deemed elite. Now it is left to be decided if the OCAA’s indoor schedule will be allowed to resume, but it is more than likely not going to happen given that all other programs have been paused until at least January 24th, (and now more than likely January 26th and beyond). But only time will tell, as this time frame will better allow the member institutions a greater ability to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student-life programming and allow for student-athletes to have sufficient time to properly train and prepare for the winter championship stretch run.
How do I stay connected to Ontario Soccer?
For those in Ontario, for further information please refer to the latest bulletins on the COVID-19 Updates page, which has all the latest information from Ontario Soccer, as well as resources for your members. Please consider placing a dedicated link to the COVID-19 Updates on the homepage on your website.
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If you have any questions, please contact Patty Forbes, Director, Administration.
Sources: Ontario Soccer
Ontario University Athletics
Ontario College Athletic Association