Ontario Soccer has previously communicated updates through bulletins on Rowan’s Law Requirements, Concussion Policy and Rowan’s Law Implementation.

As a reminder, on July 1, 2019, Phase 1 implementation of Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety) came into effect.

This July 1, 2021 would have marked the effective date for implementation of Phase 2 of the Rowan’s Law legislation, which requires sport organizations to establish Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocols for its athletes.

Recognizing that Ontario’s sport and recreation sectors continue to be heavily impacted, the Government of Ontario is once again postponing the effective date of Phase 2 of Rowan’s Law from July 1, 2021, to January 1, 2022. This deferral will give sport organizations, as well as municipalities, post-secondary institutions, community centres, and private sport clubs or sport entities, additional time to establish and implement Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocols for their athletes.

Only the effective date of Phase 2 implementation is being changed.

All requirements related to the protocols in the legislation and regulation will remain the same. Any work already completed by your organization in preparation for the Phase 2 implementation will assist you in meeting your organization’s obligations under Rowan’s Law by January 1, 2022. Organizations are welcome to implement the Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocols in advance of the new proclamation date on a voluntary basis. 

To assist your organization in developing its Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocols, organizations are encouraged to visit the government’s concussion webpages at www.ontario.ca/concussions for a sample protocol template. The Government of Ontario will also be hosting information webinars to support the implementation of the Act and to answer any questions your organization may have about the legislation and regulation.

As communicated previously, according to the Government of Ontario, the purpose of Rowan’s Law legislation is to promote a culture change in the area of concussion management in sport and make participation safer. There are no enforcement or monitoring provisions in Rowan’s Law.

It is up to entities and individuals to ensure that they comply with the laws of Ontario.

If an organization does not comply with the laws of Ontario, then the organization assumes any liability risk associated with non-compliance.

Visit OntarioSoccer.net for more information on Rowan’s Law Requirements and more information on Concussions and Concussion Management.

Visit the Government of Ontario website for more information on Rowan’s Law.

If you have any further questions, please contact Ontario Soccer.