Click Here for an updated Sask Volleyball Return to Play protocol as of May 26, 2021. Below is a summary of the changes.
Highlights
● Implementation: May 30, 2021
●No change to indoor restrictions, though they are expected to be changed on June 20 if everything goes according to plan and the government implements Step 2.
●Outdoor sport training and league competition allowed starting May 30. For outdoor sport only, masks or social distancing no longer required, gatherings of up to 150 allowed. Spectators must be separated from playing area, and should be limited. I think 1 per participant is still fair and will ensure any activity doesn’t go over the gathering limit of 150.
●Interprovincial travel not allowed. However we can take out our Intra-provincial restriction.
Click Here for an updated Sask Volleyball Return to Play protocol as of November 27, 2020. Below is a summary of the changes.
Competition Pause
Highlights
● Implementation: November 27, 2020
● Outdoor and Indoor Volleyball Training Only Allowed o No Competition Allowed o Training allowed with up to 8 Participants at a time, and up to 50 Participants within a “MiniLeague”. o Masks must be worn by all participants at all times o Participants must make every attempt to maintain 3m social distance at all times.
Click Here for an updated Sask Volleyball Return to Play protocol as of November 2, 2020.
1. Team Composition
Sask Volleyball has operated in the past with an open concept to athlete and coach selection, and this was a major concern for Sask Health in discussing Sask Volleyball plan to operate club volleyball this winter. In order to gain Sask Health approval and operate a club volleyball season, Sask Volleyball has agreed to the following restrictions for Team Composition for the upcoming 2020-21 season. Unfortunately this will likely mean that some athletes and coaches from larger communities will be unable to participate in club volleyball if there is limited or no access to facilities in that community. Obviously this isn’t fair for them, but its not something we have control over. The best option for an athlete and coach from a larger community with limited or no access to facilities in that community would be to seek out a club or facility space in a small community within 150km of their residence.
- Athletes and Coaches must declare their home residence address on the Sask Volleyball 2020-21 Team Registration Form.
- Club teams must declare the address of their main training centre on the Sask Volleyball 2020-21 Team Registration Form.
- Coaches or Athletes who reside in one of the Major Centres listed below may not participate with a club team whose main training centre is located within a different Major Centre (i.e. Regina resident cannot play on a team from Saskatoon, etc). Bedroom communities are not considered part of a Major Centre. The following communities are designated as a Major Centre:
- Lloydminster
- Moose Jaw
- North Battleford
- Prince Albert
- Regina
- Saskatoon
- Swift Current
- Yorkton
- Coaches and Athletes may only participate with a club team within 150km of their home residence address.
- The intent of the Team Composition policy is to restrict participants from different major centres from playing on the same team. This is the main concern that Sask Health has. Therefore, just to clarify, no team will be allowed to include athletes from different major centres.
- The KM radius for each club team will be measured as per the closest main highway route according to Google Maps.
- Exemptions for Coaches or Athletes to participate with a club team outside of 150km of their home residence address will be taken on a case-by-case basis. No exemptions will be considered for Coaches or Athletes who reside in one of the Major Centre to participate with a club team within a different Major Centre. To request an exemption, contact Cara Orr at cara@saskvolleyball.ca with a written description of the circumstances around the exemption request prior to registering.
Sask Health is much more concerned with residence from one major centre travelling on a regular basis to another major centre, and less concerned about the 150km rule, as the former has a much greater potential to spread the virus, should someone within a program contract COVID-19. Sask Health indicated we cannot allow exemptions from major centre to major centre, but exemptions can be considered in exceptional circumstances with the 150km rule. Please note that when registering, an athlete or coach should be entering their home address where they reside at least 50% of the time. Sask Volleyball retains the right to ask a member to provide proof of their main residency at any time. Failure to follow Sask Volleyball’s Team Composition policy will be investigated as per our Code of Conduct and Discipline and Complaints policies, and consideration for removal of membership for both member and member club.
Going forward, any newly approved development programs will need to follow the Team Composition policy as well. Current Approved Development programs will be allowed to continue to operate with their current registered athletes and coaches up to November 30th.
Volleyball will also continue to be limited in Mini-Leagues to a maximum of 50 participants. Each club team will be allowed to have up to 13 individuals on their roster, including athletes and coaches who cannot social distance. Any coach who attends competition with the team on the bench will be considered in breach of social distance and must count towards your teams number. Any coach who only attends practice and agrees to maintain social distance during practice will not count towards your teams number. All coaches will be required to wear a mask during practice and competition.
2. Club Registration
If not already complete, and if your club is planning to organize one or more club teams, you will be required to first fill out a Club Registration Form and provide club contact info, description of what age-groups you plan to organize, and agree to Sask Volleyball policies. The Club Registration form is now live and can be found in the VRS… https://site2733.goalline.ca/register.php?reg_form_id=37452
If you’re planning to run just a development program this fall and winter, you can still use the Approved Youth Volleyball Program form, which is currently live at https://site2733.goalline.ca/register.php?reg_form_id=37046
3. Athlete Selection/Evaluations
Sask Health has indicated that a future update to their Sask Re-Open Plan will include the allowance for individuals to participate in more than one Mini-League at a time in one sport. They want to encourage individuals to limit how many Mini-Leagues they are involved with, but will no longer restrict it to just one per sport. Athletes will be permitted to attend evaluations on an as needed basis if they don’t have a club team to play on. Clubs are encouraged not to hold in-person evaluations if at all possible, but if its necessary you will need to keep each gathering to 30 participants. Clubs will need to apply to Sask Volleyball to sanction an evaluation session, and Sask Volleyball will need to discuss with the club how they propose to run the activity before it is approved.
4. Team Registration
Clubs can begin to register teams in the VRS on Monday, November 16th. Teams will need to include all athlete and coaches contact info and ensure it complies with Sask Volleyball’s Team Composition Policy, and Sask Volleyball will confirm approval of the team once the coaches have been verified to comply with our Screening Policy. All registered coaches will need to complete the Respect in Sport course or equivalent, as well as submit a recent Police Records Check from 2018 or more recent.
The team will also be asked to subjectively rank themselves as a Division 1, 2, or 3 team, based on the coaches best estimate on where the team would finish at provincials during a normal year. This will help Sask Volleyball organize Mini-Leagues in the winter.
5. Official Start of Club Season
Club teams can start practicing on Monday, November 30th providing they have registered in the VRS and their coaches have been screened and approved. There are a number of Approved Development programs currently operating around the province, many of which are planning to end later in November. In order to limit the number of programs running at the same time, Sask Volleyball will keep the club practice start date at November 30th. If there is a group of athletes and coaches that want to begin training before November 30th, they can fill out the Approved Indoor Development program form currently on the VRS and receive sanctioning for that.
6. Competition
Sask Volleyball will organize Mini-Leagues for each age-group, based on region and competition. As of right now, tournaments are not allowed, so any competition will not lead to any provincial championships. Therefore, the purpose of the Mini-Leagues will be to attempt to provide meaningful competition for all participants within a safe environment. Teams will be placed in a Mini-League for the Sask Cup 1 period of January 1st-February 7th, and Sask Volleyball will plan a one-day Sask Cup for each Mini-League near the end of this period. Its assumed that the government will allow Mini-Leagues to mix after a scrub period of 14 days. Therefore, Sask Volleyball will re-mix the Mini-Leagues after Sask Cup 1, and run the Sask Cup 2 period from February 8th-March 21st. The Sask Cup 3 period will be March 22nd-April 25th.
Deadlines for registration into the Mini-Leagues will be announced shortly.
*The government has indicated that league competition should remain within one community or facility when possible. Therefore its possible that all Sask Cup competition will be held in Saskatoon at the Henk Ruys Soccer Centre, as it has the ability to host more Mini-Leagues while keeping each Mini-League separated from each other. It is also possible that Sask Health will want us to organize some competition in the south and some in the north, so a second location in Regina or other south community is still possible.
All these dates and plans are subject to change of the Sask Re-Open plan, Sask Health, facility availability, and registration numbers.
TeamLinkt accounts
TeamLinkt will again be a partner with Sask Volleyball this winter. Shortly after a club team has registered, TeamLinkt will upload the Athletes and Coaches emails into a TeamLinkt account. Coaches listed on the registration form will be able to manage their TeamLinkt account to communicate, set team schedules, and add any other contacts as necessary.
After recent announcements by SHSAA and school districts that school sports are being either delayed or cancelled this fall, Sask Volleyball has decided to open up applications for groups to run training sessions for any athletes 18 years old or younger starting September 1st.
Click here for the Approved Indoor Program form to apply.
Once approved, the program will be added to the dropdown menu list of programs on the Indoor Youth Development form, and can begin to register athletes.
Indoor Adult Recreation leagues are also allowed to begin registration September 1st.
Click here for the Approved Adult Volleyball League form to apply.
Once approved, the league will be added to the dropdown menu list of programs on the Indoor Adult Rec form, and can begin to register athletes.
Click here for Sask Volleyball’s current Return to Play protocol, effective July 2. Sask Volleyball is expecting the government to announce new information regarding MiniLeagues in the coming days. Once announced, Sask Volleyball will update our protocol.
An announcement regarding details of the upcoming indoor club season will be coming shortly.
Beach Provincials Cancelled
Sask Volleyball has been monitoring the Government of Saskatchewan’s Re-Open Saskatchewan plan and their restrictions surrounding sport. Presently, programs are restricted to Mini-Leagues of 50 individuals, and tournaments are not allowed. Therefore, Sask Volleyball will unfortunately not be able to host Beach Provincials Championships in 2020. Sask Volleyball will continue to monitor the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan and update our Return to Play protocol as necessary. An update on the start date for indoor volleyball, and necessary restrictions, is expected to be provided on or before August 20.
The Government of Saskatchewan recently updated its Re-Open Sask Plan to allow for increased outdoor sport activity. Click here for Sask Volleyball’s updated Return to Play protocol, effective July 2. Changes to the plan are highlighted in yellow, and summarized below.
- Implementation: July 6, 2020
- Indoor Volleyball allowed for up to 30 Participants, while Outdoor Volleyball continues to be allowed for up to 50 Participants.
- Competition or Training is allowed with no modifications within a Program or League.
- Participation from across the province is allowed, though focus should remain within Local Communities.
- Spectators must be separated from playing area, and Max 1 Spectator per Participant.
If you are interested in running an indoor volleyball program this summer, please fill out the Approved Indoor Volleyball Program form to apply.
The Government of Saskatchewan recently updated its Re-Open Sask Plan to allow for increased outdoor sport activity. Click here for Sask Volleyball’s updated Return to Play protocol, effective June 30. Changes to the plan are highlighted in yellow, and summarized below.
- Implementation: June 30, 2020
- Modifications to sport activities required:
- Outdoor Volleyball Only
- Competition and Training allowed with no modifications, for up to 50 Participants within a “Mini-League”. Any skill, like blocking at the net, or competition format is allowed within the Mini-League. Participants cannot be a part of more than one Mini-League within an approved Sask Volleyball program.
- Participation from across the province is allowed, though focus should remain within Local Communities.
- Update on Spectator, recommend max 1.
If you are interested in running an outdoor volleyball program this summer, please fill out the Approved Beach Volleyball Program form https://site2733.goalline.ca/register.php?reg_form_id=36251 to apply.
Approved Beach Volleyball Programs have started their registrations as of June 22nd. During the return to play transition, we know that many of our members are eager to get out and play volleyball while doing it as safely as possible.
If you are interested in Volleyball or training during this time of COVID, it is strongly encouraged that you review our Return to Play protocol.
Any additional questions regarding our COVID precautions and return to play can be directed to Aaron@saskvolleyball.ca.
Beach Volleyball training opens June 22nd!
The Government of Sask Re-Open Saskatchewan plan was updated yesterday, with outdoor sports allowed to begin training-only programs starting June 22nd. Sask Volleyball has now finalized its Return to Play Protocol, which attempts to align or exceed all government restrictions for a safe training environment…
Highlights
- Modifications to sport activities required:
o Outdoor Participation Only
o Limit to Group Size, no more than 6 Participants on a Court
o Limit exposure to shared Equipment and between Participants
o Limit breaches of 2-meter physical distance between Participants as much as possible.
o No Blocking at the Net during Training
- Primary focus on Skill Development, No Competitions until Sask Re-Open plan allows.
- Community focus, Remain within Local Communities.
Our Return to Play Protocol will be updated on an ongoing basis as the Government of Saskatchewan modifies its Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan. Hopefully future updates will include indoor volleyball, reduced restrictions, competition, and travel.
For groups interested in offering beach volleyball training this summer, Sask Volleyball plans to publish an Approved Beach Volleyball Program application on the VRS June 18. In order to be approved, groups will be required to agree to follow the Sask Volleyball Return to Play Protocol, and ensure all coaches have been screened (Police Records Check and Respect in Sport), prior to being approved.
Sask Volleyball’s insurance provider does not cover pandemic situations like COVID-19. Therefore, it is essential that all Participants, Coaches, Organizers, and Parents read, understand, and follow the Return to Play protocol.
Earlier this evening, the Government of Saskatchewan updated its Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan with a resumption of Outdoor Activities, including Beach Volleyball, with restrictions. Sask Volleyball has begun reviewing details of the new information. We anticipate that we will be in position to update our membership with our Return to Play plan within the next week, including a description of approved activities (with restriction), timing for resuming these activities, and how to sanction an activity.
Important details of note about today’s Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan update:
• Beach Volleyball only, no Indoor Volleyball
• Training Only, no Competition
• Local participation only, no Travel
• Social Distancing restrictions, Gathering limits, and Hygiene protocol must be included in any Return to Play initiative
Sask Volleyball believes this is great news for our volleyball communities, which will eventually allow us to gradually and safely return to beach and indoor competitions, province-wide.
You can find the most updated Re-Open Saskatchewan plan here, with Outdoor Activities listed on page 70-71…
2020 Summer Programming
As you know, with gathering restrictions, this summer will require additional government information before we can properly attempt a safe return to in-person training. Sask Volleyball is currently working on a Return to Play plan based on what we currently know, to ensure we can safely get back to volleyball as quickly as possible. Sask Volleyball is using the direction and advice from the Government of Saskatchewan/Sask Health, Volleyball Canada, and Sask Sport in order to develop our Return to Play plan. Once our Return to Play plan is drafted, Sask Volleyball plans to survey its members to gauge overall comfort level to participate in modified sport while physical distancing restrictions are still in place.
Phase One of our Summer Programming will be focused on delivering athlete FREE ONLINE training in June, July and August. Phase Two will be geared towards in-person Team Sask programming in July and August, as restrictions allow.
Here are links to Sask Volleyball’s Summer Programming outlines.
OFF COURT PHASE ONE – Jun/Jul/Aug
- Online Summer Training – All Club Athletes
- Online Summer Training – Team Sask Indoor Athletes (Invite Only)
- Online Summer Training – Team Sask Beach Athletes (Invite Only)
- Online Summer Professional Development – All Club Coaches
ON COURT PHASE TWO – Timing TBD
Volleyball Canada has recently developed some Return to Volleyball guidelines to help Provincial Sport Organizations begin to develop their Return to Play plans. Sask Volleyball is using these guidelines to develop our Return to Play Plan, in conjunction with direction from our Provincial Government’s Re-Open Plan. As of May 15th, Sask Volleyball has been authorized to approve Coaches/Members of Volleyball Canada or other bodies approved by Sask Sport (i.e. Sport Medicine and Science Council of Sask) to provide Online Training instruction to individuals athletes. This training can only occur online for now, with athletes and coaches abiding by current social distancing requirements.
Future approval of in-person volleyball training and competition, including timelines, restrictions, and requirements, will be dependent on the Government of Sask Re-Open Plan and guidelines provided by Volleyball Canada, and will be outlined in Sask Volleyball’s to-be-developed Return to Play Plan. It is anticipated that the Sask Re-Open plan will need to proceed to a minimum of Phase 4 before any modified or full group training or competition can occur.
Please see below for reference material…
Click here for Volleyball Canada’s Return to Volleyball Considerations and Progressions
Click here for Volleyball Canada’s Return to Volleyball Risk Mitigations
Revised process for Provincial Championship Official Apparel refunds
Initially, when Provincial Championships were cancelled, it was announced that all pre-ordered Provincial Championship Official Apparel would be refunded. However, in the last couple days Sask Volleyball received many requests from members to continue with their orders. Therefore, we will continue with all pre-orders unless we receive email confirmation to cara@saskvolleyball.ca by Friday, April 3rd that you would like to cancel your order.
Members can also still pre-order Provincial Championship Official Apparel until Friday, April 3rd using the following form…
Statement on Coronavirus (COVID-19): March 24th, 2020
Sask Volleyball is committed to protecting the health and safety of our members, the public and those associated with our sport. We have been following the advice of the Government of Saskatchewan and public health experts such as the Saskatchewan Health Authority regarding COVID-19. In light of recent events, Sask Volleyball has made the decision to cancel 2020 Indoor Provincials and all remaining Indoor Club activities for the season.
The rationale to cancel activities relates to the Government of Saskatchewan’s ban on mass gatherings over 250, facility unavailability, and encouragement for members to self-isolate in hopes it will contribute to a slow-down in spreading the coronavirus. Sask Volleyball hopes to resume regular activities in time for Provincial Team and Beach seasons, and will consider the removal of the ban on mass gatherings as the impetus for this resumption.
Full refunds will be provided for Indoor Provincials, Indoor Provincials Official Apparel, Sask Cups, tournament sanctions, ID Camps, and Workshops. Communication surrounding refunds will be shared with participants of those programs as soon as possible.
Sask Volleyball will also issue a refund all pre-orders for Indoor Provincials Official Apparel. Alternatively, there will be an announcement shortly on an opportunity to order regular Sask Volleyball Official Apparel.
Below is a summary of the status of all activity as of today:
Cancelled Activity
remaining Sask Cups
Indoor Provincials
Sanctioned Club Tournaments
Club Practices
Team Sask ID Camps
NCCP Coaching Workshops
Adult Leagues
Grassroots programs
Activity To Be Determined
Team Sask Final Selection Camp
Team Sask Training and Competition
Beach Programs
Team Sask – Providing the mass gatherings ban is lifted no later than May 1, Sask Volleyball will offer a Team Sask program in some form. In the event that this ban is not removed, with cooperation from Volleyball Canada and the other provinces/territories, we will communicate a revised plan as soon as possible.
Sask Summer Games – The Sask Games Council, with the city of Lloydminster will make an official announcement on May 15th. For the time being, all Sask sport bodies will continue to plan for this summer event. Please note, if you have a 2006 athlete interested in participating, open tryouts in your area will be held between May 29th and June 7th. Official dates and locations will be listed on the Sask Volleyball website on May 1st and shared with each District.
Sask Volleyball will continue to monitor all appropriate public safety advice and encourage our members to take any and all reasonable precautions.
Preventing Further Spread
To further assist with containing the spread of the Novel coronavirus, we also stress and emphasize the following behaviours:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water (20 seconds) or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Sneeze and cough into your sleeve
- If you are ill or are showing any symptoms, stay home
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
- Avoid contact with people who are sick
Volleyball Canada’s Statement regarding the Coronavirus:
https://volleyball.ca/en/news/responding-to-uncertainty-during-coronavirus
Due to Saskatchewan’s recent state of emergency declaration and our national social distancing efforts, many Sask Volleyball staff will begin to work from home and our offices will be considered closed to the general public. We hope to continue providing what services we can to our members. Please review our staff directory, as we will remain accessible through phone and email. Any required face-to-face meeting will need to be arranged by appointment.
https://www.saskvolleyball.ca/our-team/
Thank you for your understanding.
Statement on Coronavirus (COVID-19): March 16th, 2020
Sask Volleyball is committed to protecting the health and safety of our members, the public and those associated with our sport. We have been following the advice of the Government of Saskatchewan and public health experts such as the Saskatchewan Health Authority regarding COVID-19. In light of recent events, Sask Volleyball has made the decision to cancel ALL events up to and including April 5th, 2020. Below is a summary of the status of all activity as of today:
Cancelled Activity
Remaining Sask Cups
Sanctioned Club Tournaments
Team Sask ID Camps
NCCP Coaching Workshops
Adult Leagues
Full refunds will be provided for Sask Cups, tournament sanctions, ID Camps, and Workshops. Communication surrounding refunds will be shared with participants of those programs as soon as possible.
Suspended Activity until further notice
Club Practices
Grassroots programs
Activity To Be Determined
Indoor Provincials – moved to May 1st-3rd and May 8th-10th
Team Sask Final Selection Camp
Team Sask Training and Competition
Beach Programs
The rationale to cancel activities relates to the Government of Saskatchewan’s ban on mass gatherings over 250, as well as the unavailability of facilities due to recent closures. The rationale to suspend activities relates to Sask Volleyball wanting to be proactive and encourage members to self-isolate in hopes this can help contribute to a slow-down in spreading the coronavirus. Until further notice, clubs are not insured to participate in any organized activity. Sask Volleyball hopes to resume regular activities as soon as possible, and will likely consider the removal of the ban on mass gatherings as the impetus for this resumption.
In the hopes of increasing the odds of still hosting Indoor Provincials, Sask Volleyball will be moving the event to the weekends of May 1st-3rd and May 8th-10th. All divisions that were originally scheduled to play on May 1st-3rd will remain on that weekend. All other divisions will be moved to either May 1st-3rd and May 8th-10t, and will be communicated to members by March 23rd. Sask Volleyball will decide whether Indoor Provincials will be held or not by April 17th. A decision and timelines for all other programs will be announced as soon as possible.
Sask Volleyball will continue to monitor all appropriate public safety advice and encourage our members to take any and all reasonable precautions. Weekly updates on the situation will be provided to members every Monday starting March 23rd.
Preventing Further Spread
To further assist with containing the spread of the Novel coronavirus, we also stress and emphasize the following behaviours:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water (20 seconds) or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Sneeze and cough into your sleeve
- If you are ill or are showing any symptoms, stay home
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
- Avoid contact with people who are sick
In light of the ongoing concern resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in support of suggested recommendations from health authorities regarding avoiding large group and crowded public activities, Sask Volleyball has decided to suspend activities until further notice, including the cancellation of Sask Cups for this upcoming weekend March 14-15, 2020.
Additionally, we are cancelling sanctions for all other activity this weekend, including club tournaments, club practices, and coaching workshops. A determination of whether other Sask Cups or Provincial Championships, or any other activity will take place will be reviewed in the upcoming days and communicated to members as soon as possible.
Tournament Fees for Sask Cups and Tournament sanctions paid to Sask Volleyball will be refunded where necessary.
We apologize for the inconvenience, however we feel this decision is in the best interest of protecting the health and safety of our athletes, coaches, referees and the general public.
The following resources are available for further information:
Public Health Agency of Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html
Sask Health Authority
https://pubsaskdev.blob.core.windows.net/pubsask-prod/115659/Coronavirus2019-Public-QA-Mar%252B11%252B2020.pdf