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Updates of COVID-19 Impacted Activities and FAQ #3

By Staff, 04/03/20, 10:45AM EDT

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PISL season, Club Nationals, Emergency Wage Subsidy, Refunds and more in this update

Play. Inspire. Unite. 

Ontario Soccer, in consultation with Canada Soccer and governmental advisors, continues to monitor the most recent developments surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting public health crisis.

Ontario Soccer has received additional questions from the membership, since the first COVID-19 frequently asked questions (FAQ) was released on March 16, 2020, followed by the second COVID-19 FAQ on March 23, 2020 and has prepared the following additional FAQ in response.

The timing and meeting format of my soccer organization’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being affected by COVID-19 restrictions. What do I do?

On March 31, the Government of Ontario announced support for registered corporations, by implementing an Emergency Order to provide flexibility for corporate meetings. This Emergency Order includes not-for-profit corporations incorporated under the Ontario Corporations Act (CA) and gives them the ability to hold virtual meetings, as well as extends the timeframe for AGMs to be held.

This Emergency Order will enable organizations to:

  • Hold meetings of directors, shareholders and members electronically or over the phone even if legislation (like Ontario’s Corporations Act) or your bylaws say you cannot. The electronic or phone system has to allow people to communicate with each other simultaneously and instantaneously. So, for example, an email chain over a few days likely would not qualify as a meeting.
  • Extend the timeframe by which corporations under the Corporations Act and Business Corporations Act must hold Annual General Meetings (AGMs). 

The deadlines for non-profits to hold their AGMs are now extended to:

  1. 90 days after the state of emergency is ended by the Ontario government.
  2. If the government ends the state of emergency within 30 days before your current deadline, then you have until 120 days after the state of emergency ends. 

The Emergency Order is in effect province-wide and is retroactive to March 17, 2020, the day the Declaration of Emergency came into effect.

Read more
here

Now that the Provincial Indoor Soccer League has announced the cancellation of the remainder of the season, what are the anticipated next steps and what can be expected in terms of refunds?

Recently, the PISL made the hard decision to announce the cancellation of the remainder of the 2019/20 season, including the Championship games to be held at the beginning of May. The process of sending out individual communications to teams and Clubs/Academies has begun, and will be completed within the coming days. Included in the email will be detailed information on how refunds for all missed games will be distributed, with exact amounts, which are owed for each team.

Further communications in the coming weeks will also be sent out, which will outline the process taken for identifying 1st and 2nd place teams for each age division, and how awarding of medals will take place.

As league offices remain closed at this time, if there are any questions please contact us via email at pisl@ontariosoccer.net

Has there been any confirmation from Canada Soccer on the status of the Club Nationals later this year?

Canada Soccer is mindful that this suspension of activity may have long-term implications on national events such as the 2020 Toyota National Championships in October. Canada Soccer has recently confirmed with Member Associations that they are currently planning for the competitions to occur as scheduled, however, Canada Soccer will continue to closely monitor all COVID-19 developments and will conduct a review June 30 to monitor the feasibility of hosting the competitions in 2020. They will also revisit the Regional Masters in the same time frame.

What is Canada Soccer doing to help the game during this time?

As part of an ongoing effort to encourage, engage and motivate the Canadian soccer community, Canada Soccer has launched the Canada Soccer Nation Inside platform to unite players, coaches, referees, volunteers, and fans, who are doing their part to stay inside and off the pitch. The platform will provide unique online content, as well as support public health authority messaging in the effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 across our communities.

Online education will kick off this week with Canada Soccer Men’s National Team Head Coach and Men’s EXCEL Program Director John Herdman and his staff delivering a Men’s EXCEL 101 webinar that will provide knowledge and insight on coach and player development within the Men’s EXCEL Program. The free webinar runs online this Saturday, April 4th starting at 3 p.m. with registration available here. In a time when all of Canada has committed to staying off the pitch, the webinar offers coaches an opportunity to continue their development.

What other sorts of things is Ontario Soccer doing to help aid our Districts, Leagues, Clubs and Academies?

At a time, when our soccer community across Ontario would typically prepare for the upcoming outdoor season, the global COVID-19 pandemic has affected all levels of the game greatly in recent weeks. During this unprecedented period of uncertainty, it is pivotal that we all stand together and support each other. Ontario Soccer is doing its part, as we continue to be here for our members by providing regular communication updates, adjusting program and service delivery and replying to members’ inquiries.

In addition to these efforts, Ontario Soccer is debuting a weekly Grassroots Spotlight Series that will help you optimize this period, so you are ready for when soccer season resumes.  Over a number of weekly editions, the Series will provide best practices, strategies and tips from Ontario Soccer’s leaders and spotlight the innovative, outside-the-box work of member organisations to help you better engage with your stakeholders, control costs, deliver programming, manage administration and stay fit.

In the first installment, the leaders of Ontario Soccer share their top tip for you to stay mentally and physically sharp during this period. Visit OntarioSoccer.net for the first edition.

Why is Ontario Soccer continuing to promote a registration deadline for Ontario Cup? I thought all soccer activities have been suspended until the end of April.

Following Ontario Soccer’s March 24 COVID-19 Update, the Ontario Cup Entry Deadline, which was April 1, 2020, was extended to April 22, 2020, in hopes a return to play would be possible this summer.

Ontario Soccer, in consultation with Canada Soccer and public health authorities has been monitoring the most recent developments of COVID-19 and are currently assessing operations (postponements and cancellations) on a month-to-month basis as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold. Further updates will be announced as warranted.

Until that time, Ontario Soccer also acknowledges the difficult financial times that some organizations may be facing during this COVID-19 crisis.

As a result, the Ontario Cup entry fee deadline has been extended beyond the entry deadline.

Payment for the Ontario Cup is now possible until May 11, 2020.

Please note that should the 2020 Ontario Cup competition be cancelled, all teams that have entered will receive a full refund. Visit OntarioSoccer.net for more on Ontario Cup entry.

What can you tell me about the Government of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy?

To help Canadians and businesses get through these tough economic times, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced that the Government is proposing to introduce a wage subsidy of 75 per cent for qualifying businesses, for up to 3 months, retroactive to March 15, 2020.

For details of the proposed Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, please click here.

How do I get a player registration fee refund from my Club or Academy?

Ontario Soccer does not refund player registration fees to individuals.  Please contact your Club or Academy and refer to their posted refund policy for the process to follow.

I am considering registering as a Match Official for the 2020 season, but I am not sure, if I will receive a refund if the season is suspended. How is Ontario Soccer managing this?

As communicated in March, all registration late fees are waived for the 2020 season, and based on the official start date of the 2020 season, there will be a weekly pro-rated reduction in registration fees. This pro-rating will begin July 6, 2020.

If the season starts late, Leagues are already discussing the potential to push their games later into the season to recoup all/some lost games.  Additionally, as a registered Match Official you will have access to officiating indoor competition (if offered in your District).

Ontario Soccer and the District Associations are still going to be providing programming to support the development of Match Officials once the season kicks off, therefore, the LTOD fee and District Development Fees will still be collected as a part of registration, but will also be pro-rated.

If you registered prior to the pro-rated fees coming into place, we will be reaching out to you directly and individually in regards to refunding the difference between the fees based on the season start date.

Registration remains open, and Match Officials, Assignors and Assessors can register at any time.

A Match Official specific FAQ and further Match Officiating communication will be shared in the coming days.

How do I stay connected with Ontario Soccer while activities are suspended?

Subscribe to INSIDE THE 18 – Ontario Soccer’s weekly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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