Impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 season - updated June 17th
MESSAGE TO RLSA TEAMS REGARDING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON 2020 SEASON - June 17, 2020
As you may have heard, the Government of Saskatchewan has announced Monday, June 22nd as the start date for Phase 4 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan.
That said, we still require Softball Saskatchewan to lift their suspension of sanctioned events and the City of Regina to issue permits for our diamonds before we can begin.
There is a lot of work that the RLSA has to do to prepare for a season. We anticipate that a potential start date could be Monday, July 13th.
The RLSA Executive met last night and developed the following Action Plan:
1. The first thing we need to know is how many teams still want to play ball based on the guidelines that must be followed. An email will be sent to team contacts containing the RLSA Return to Play Guidelines. These guidelines are based on the Softball Saskatchewan Return to Play Protocols and Guidelines that the RLSA is required to follow.
It is expected that the email will be sent on Friday, June 19th as it is anticipated that revisions to the Softball Saskatchewan Guidelines will be received tomorrow.
Team contacts are to forward the document to their players and get a response on their commitment to play. Contacts are then asked to respond to the RLSA within a week outlining their intentions for the season. If it is to play ball, please also advise to which date you would be willing to play.
2. The RLSA Executive is scheduled to meet on Monday, June 29th to review the team responses and determine if it is feasible to play ball this year.
If it is feasible the following will be required:
- Budget prepared to determine league fees.
- Spring meeting scheduled via Zoom.
- Teams to advise Scheduler of any schedule concessions/requests
- Schedule created
- Diamonds prepared
- Teams to have Affiliation spreadsheet to RLSA by Wednesday, July 8th
- Teams to have league fees to RLSA by Wednesday, July 8th
We understand these are strange times with many uncertainties so please feel free to contact RLSA President, Brenda Anderson, at 306-539-4943 if you have questions.
MESSAGE TO RLSA TEAMS REGARDING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON 2020 SEASON - May 24/2020
The following is an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 season:
- Softball Saskatchewan has extended the suspension of all sanctioned activities until Sunday, June 7th.
- Softball Saskatchewan has moved the affiliation deadline to Wednesday, July 1st.
- Softball Saskatchewan is optimistic that Provincial Championships will be held in August rather than in July. They are working with Host organizations to confirm specific dates for each category of Provincials. They anticipate less teams entering Provincials, so are reviewing the structure of the championships and will be flexible on rules around Provincial Championships. For specific requests regarding concessions to existing rules please contact the Softball office. The new Provincial Championship Registration Deadline is July 15th, 2020. Again, please note, the structure and format of Provincials is still to be determined and will be published once completed.
- Softball Canada has cancelled all Fastpitch and Slo-Pitch Canadian Championships in 2020.
- Softball Saskatchewan currently have no plans for any athlete, coach, or umpire clinics. They will provide an update on umpire clinics in early June. They are still working with Softball Canada regarding their ability to provide online NCCP Coaching Clinics.
- Below are the results of the 2020 Season Survey sent out to RLSA teams. There were 17 responses.
- Latest start date - responses ranged from June 1st to August 1st. Six said anytime. No clear cut majority.
- Latest end date - 7 replied into September; 5 replied August 28th; 3 replied August 14th; 2 replied July 31st.
- Willing to play a shortened season - 16 replied Yes regardless of number of weeks; 1 replied Yes if greater than 8 weeks.
- 14 teams are willing to play on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
- 15 teams want to play the season if possible
MESSAGE TO RLSA TEAMS REGARDING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON 2020 SEASON - May 6, 2020
The following is an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 season:
- Softball Saskatchewan has extended the suspension of all sanctioned activities until Sunday, May 31st. They remain hopeful there will still be a softball season but have set a drop-dead date of August 1st for cancellation of the 2020 season. They will continue to provide short suspension timeframes for sanctioned activities in the hope that they get permission to proceed with our sport.
- Softball Sask have not cancelled any 2020 Provincial Championships. They are moving the May 15th Provincial Championship Registration Deadline for “A” categories to June 1st. They have contacted all Provincial Championship Hosts to get their feedback on hosting Provincials in late August and early September and are awaiting their feedback. The structure and format of these competitions will be determined and published once it is known if they can proceed.
- Softball Canada continues to work with the host organizations across the country on Canadians. A decision on the status of 2020 Canadian Championships will be made by mid-May.
- All Western Canadian Softball Championships have been cancelled for 2020. This organization continues to meet regularly and is now working on 2021 championships to hopefully retain the same host locations as we had in 2020.
- The 2020 Saskatchewan Summer Games in Lloydminster have been postponed until 2021. The Games are now tentatively scheduled to be held from July 18th - 24th.
MESSAGE TO RLSA TEAMS REGARDING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON 2020 SEASON - April 16, 2020
The following is an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 season:
- Softball Saskatchewan has extended the suspension of all sanctioned activities until Friday, May 15th. They have posted a COVID-19 update on their website that includes Q&A about the 2020 season, Provincial, Western & Canadian Championships, SS programs & services such as NCCP Coaching clinics and umpire clinics. More information can be found at:
https://softball.sk.ca/news/covid-19.htm
With the continuation of the Softball Sask suspension of sanctioned activities, the RLSA plans for the 2020 season remain unchanged:
- The RLSA Spring meeting has been postponed until further notice.
- The start date of the season has been postponed until further notice. The season cannot begin until Softball Sask lifts their suspension of sanctioned activities. As soon as we find out the suspension will be lifted, the Executive will meet to prepare a plan for the season and schedule the Spring meeting.
Take care. Stay safe. Have hope that we will be able to get on the diamonds this season.
Contact Brenda Anderson, RLSA President, at 306-539-4943 if you have comments or questions.
MESSAGE TO RLSA TEAMS REGARDING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON 2020 SEASON - April 2, 2020
The following is an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 season:
1. Softball Saskatchewan has extended the suspension of all sanctioned activities until Friday, May 1st. This follows the same decision made by Softball Canada.
2. ACI has extended the closure of the Centennial Bingo Hall until Thursday, April 30th.
3. April 19th umpire clinic has been cancelled. They plan to either reschedule the clinic or provide it by alternative means.
Based on the above:
1. The RLSA Spring meeting has been postponed until further notice.
2. The start date of the season has been postponed until further notice. The season cannot begin until Softball Sask lifts their suspension of sanctioned activities. As soon as we find out the suspension will be lifted, the Executive will meet to prepare a plan for the season and schedule the Spring meeting.
In the mean time, stay well. Contact Brenda Anderson, RLSA President, at 306-539-4943 if you have comments or questions.
MESSAGE TO RLSA TEAMS REGARDING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON 2020 SEASON - March 18, 2020
The RLSA Executive held a meeting to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 season:
- City of Regina closure of AECC, our meeting venue.
- Softball Sask suspension of all sanctioned activities until April 14th.
- ACI closure of the Centennial Bingo hall until March 31st. They will meet again on March 29th to determine if this date will be extended. Teams scheduled to work will be contacted if bingos are cancelled.
Based on the above, the RLSA Executive made the following decisions:
- Spring League meeting will be postponed until Thursday, April 16th. Meeting info and agenda will be sent at a later date.
- The regular season cannot begin until Softball Sask lifts their suspension of sanctioned activities as there is no insurance during the suspension. The start date had been tentatively set for Sunday, May 3rd.
Until we know more, teams should:
- Organize their team. Softball Sask sent the 2020 Affiliation spreadsheet. Sarah will be emailing it to team contacts along with instructions and a proposal about the number of players/coaches that a team can affiliate.
- Collect league fees. The proposed fee for the 2020 season is $2,075.
- NOTE THAT A TEAM PRACTICE IS CONSIDERED A SANCTIONED ACTIVITY SO THERE IS NO INSURANCE VIA SOFTBALL SASKATCHEWAN.
Stay tuned. We will continue to provide updates as needed.