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Soccer is coming back to Ontario this summer

By Staff, 06/09/21, 9:45AM EDT

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After a grassroots campaign led by Ontario Soccer and its members, the Government of Ontario has announced Return to Play 2021 can now commence

Play. Inspire. Unite. 

Ontario Soccer is pleased to announce that Return to Play 2021 is about to kick-off and it’s time to Pitch In. Play ON! this summer.

Following the recent announcement from the Government of Ontario to allow outdoor activities to resume, Ontario Soccer and its members have now begun implementing their plans to get 500,000 participants back on to our soccer pitches safely this summer.

Ontario Soccer’s Return to Play Guide – which has been constructed in full alignment with the current Government of Ontario Roadmap to Reopen Ontario - provides a step-by-step roadmap to ensure the 550 registered Clubs and Academies across the province can provide a place to play for our participants this summer.

“This is a very encouraging step forward for our members and an opportunity to bring back together our diverse and multi-cultural community of all ages. Soccer serves to unite people like no other sport and we look forward to showcasing that this summer,” said Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer Chief Executive Officer. “We take the safety of all our participants seriously and with the support of our District Members, Associate Members and the Clubs and Academies we will help to bring soccer in this province back to the level it once was.”

Ontario Soccer would also like to acknowledge the role our membership played, in the great advocacy work that has been done, to get soccer back to this point in Ontario.

The grassroots lobbying efforts by Ontario Soccer and its members ensured that politicians at the municipal, provincial and federal levels took notice of our sport and recognized that soccer can be a powerful vehicle to help heal the physical and mental health issues, which have been created by the pandemic.

“Thank you to every parent, Club, Academy and District, who picked up the phone or wrote their local politicians to ensure that soccer’s voice was heard,” said Peter Augruso, Ontario Soccer President and Chair of the Board of Directors. “Your work had a direct impact on the Government of Ontario listening and changing course for this summer. You showed that soccer is a powerful voice in this province.”

For more on Return to Play, visit OntarioSoccer.net or contact your local Club and Academy to discuss their plans for this summer.

Return to Play Guide

Pitch IN. Play ON!

Return to Play Webinars