Further to Ontario Soccer’s Information Bulletin of Jan. 29, 2020 on COVID-19 and following protocols that are in place now for sport, corporate and cultural organizations, Ontario Soccer is suspending the traditional practice of handshakes between players and match officials in all matches effective immediately until further notice.

Ontario Soccer is monitoring the COVID-19 situation on a daily basis and in concert with Canada Soccer, the Canada Soccer Medical Committee and will provide updated information as it becomes available.

The following resources are available for your use in your community:

This joint message is from the Sport Medicine Advisory Committee comprised of Chief Medical Officers from the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSIN). 

It is meant to guide National Sporting Organizations (NSOs) in decision-making with respect to travel to competitions within and outside Canada. Information has been obtained from the World Health Organization, Government of Canada and Australian Institute of Sports websites. This advisory will be updated regularly and distributed to NSOs and other high performance sport partners.

The latest WHO statements can be found at WHO website on Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

When travelling to sporting events we recommend that you check for up-to-date travel advisories from the Government of Canada at: Government of Canada COVID-19 Travel Advice.

When dealing with your competition or training facilities we offer a sample of some of the protocols and practices being put in place for the Ontario Soccer Center. 

Ontario Soccer encourage you to contact your municipality for their directives regarding this matter.

• Signage provided by the Provincial Government temporarily displayed inside the facility including front doorways and inside washroom facilities.
• All door handles, railings, buttons wiped down with an approved disinfectant at a minimum of twice daily.
• Washroom facilities and fixtures including hand dryers and garbage bins cleaned with an approved disinfectant every hour during evening and weekends, and at a minimum of once during regular business hours.
• Publicly accessible areas disinfected via air dispersal using an approved sanitizer and fogger once daily prior to staff arrival. Please note that this disinfectant is 100% safe, biodegradable, and is identified with a ministry approved DIN (Drug Identification Number).
• Change rooms cleaned and sanitized daily, including floors and showers which will be disinfected using a bleach solution at an accepted 1:30 ratio.
• Additional hand sanitizing stations will be provided throughout the facility.

Lastly, Public Health Ontario provide further information on best practices regarding COVID-19.

If you have any further questions, please contact Patty Forbes, Director, Administration.