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

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 by the global pandemic, the Government of Ontario postponed 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.

To assist your organization in developing its Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocols, the Government of Ontario will be hosting informational webinars to answer any questions your organization may have about the legislation and regulation. To ensure that as many organizations are provided the opportunity to participate as possible, the Government of Ontario has four sessions planned:

• Wednesday, November 17 at 3 p.m.
• Monday, November 22 at 11 a.m.
• Thursday, November 25 at 10 a.m.
• Thursday, December 2 at 2 p.m.

Each informational webinar will be one hour in length and consist of a short presentation followed by a question and answer period. Organizations can register up to three people to attend a webinar and each participant will receive a unique link to join the webinar.

Please register each individual by completing this form by Wednesday, November 10, 2021. Should you require any assistance with registration, please contact Julie Mayorov.

A reminder that only the effective date of Phase 2 implementation has 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, or to prepare for the webinars, organizations are encouraged to visit the government’s concussion webpages at www.ontario.ca/concussions for a sample protocol template.

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.

How do I stay connected to Ontario Soccer?

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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