Hello GTYSC families,
The following blast email was sent out on May 13, 2021.
We hope that your families are doing well and staying healthy! As we get closer to summer, we wanted to provide an update about the upcoming soccer season.
Further to our last communication, the 2021 season is still on pause until we get more information from the Ontario government with regards to opening up the province. We are very optimistic that we will have a return to play this season once the current stay-at-home order is lifted. With Ontario Soccer pressing the government to reduce outdoor restrictions and with vaccinations increasing, we are hopeful that we will be able to get out on the pitch in July (if not sooner).
Our goal is to run a safe and enjoyable soccer season for all of our players. To do this, the GTYSC is planning for a modified season with COVID protocols in place and in accordance with the colour zones determined by public health. The red zone allows for small team practices only while the orange, yellow and green zones currently allow for practices and games in player bubbles of 50. We are hoping the player bubbles will be increased to 100, but we are planning for both scenarios.
When a season start date is set, we are planning to confirm the format of play and proposed schedule for each division and allow up to one week for registrations to be finalized. It will be at this time that players can opt in or out of the season. After we have final registration numbers confirmed, we can then register the players with Ontario Soccer. *It is mandatory that ALL players be registered with Ontario Soccer to be insured for any soccer activities including training, tryouts, practices, games, etc.* Please remember to register in the correct division (by birth year) as any incorrect registrations may be rejected and there may not be room left in a division to re-register.
Even though registrations have not been finalized, there is a significant amount of work that needs to be done now to ensure the Club is ready to open quickly and safely, when possible. The following Convenors are hard at work preparing for the season and can be contacted for more information about a specific division.
The most pressing concern at this time is that we are URGENTLY in need of volunteer coaches in ALL Soccer School and House League divisions to field teams. Without volunteer coaches, we will not be able to have a season. No prior experience is necessary and the GTYSC will provide support and training materials. Please contact the Club at [email protected] as soon as possible if you can volunteer as a coach or in any other capacity.
Thank you to all the new and returning Match Officials that have registered to referee in 2021. Please note that the deadline for registration for new match officials is Monday May 17th.
We hope to see all of our soccer families back for a fun and safe 2021 season! Thank you for your patience as we navigate our way through all of the current restrictions. As information is released, we will continue to send out communications and post information to our website. You can contact us at www.grimsbysoccer.com with any questions or concerns. Please remember to support our generous sponsors during these challenging times. There is a list of sponsors on our website with links to their businesses at https://grimsbysoccer.com/Sponsors/
Thank you and take care,
Grimsby Town Youth Soccer Club