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Indoor Competitions Pivoting to League Model (4v4 - 16U) for Nov-Dec

By Ontario Volleyball, 10/14/21, 2:00PM EDT

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There were hopes that the OVA could get the athletes back on the court and into OVA competitions come November;  however,  school boards across Ontario are taking a cautious approach to re-issuing community use of school permits. This has resulted in an 88% reduction in available gym space for indoor court sports. The reduction in permits  and  the restrictions  school boards have put in place have negatively affected the OVA’s and the Club’s ability to host tournaments.   

The OVA must adapt to keep our sport going and to plan based on the reality of what our Clubs and our sport are facing due to the ongoing pandemic. We need a fluid system where matches can take place, but not in a traditional tournament format.  Thus, the indoor competition model is pivoting for the start of the 2021-22 season, and this is where the League model comes into play.  

Starting this November, each competition stream will be delivered following these modifications: 

Early Contact Initiative

4v4 Rallyball, 6v6 Rallyball and TNS
  • No OVA tournaments.
  • League play from November 18th to December 12th, taking place at team booked practice facilities. 
  • Replaces the first two events of the season. 
  • January 2022 onwards – resumption of tournament-based events based on the indoor youth competitions calendar, pending permit approvals.  

15-16U

  • No OVA tournaments.  
  • League play from November 18th to December 12th, taking place at team booked practice facilities​.
  • Replaces first event of the season.​ 
  • Added a 16UG, 16UB and 15UB event to March 27th of the competition calendar to ensure these age groups have 3 regular season events in 2022​.
  • January 2022 onwards – resumption of tournament-based events based on the indoor youth competitions calendar, pending permit approvals.  

17-18U 

  • Starting the November 13th weekend, typical tournament structure in place, using facilities that have been secured​ by the OVA and Clubs. 
  • Teams will be registering for the weekend (vs the Saturday or Sunday) that their original tournament date was scheduled, however, they will be scheduled to play on either the Saturday or the Sunday.  The teams will be notified upon event registration closing and the pods of teams being assigned by the Competitions staff.  
  • 18U will have 2 events in November and December. 
  • 17U will have one event​ in November and December. 
  • The number of 17U and 18U team are smaller and fit within facility restrictions. We want to ensure the 18U athletes have as “normal” a year as possible for their final season with the OVA. 
  • January 2022 onwards – resumption of tournament-based events based on the indoor youth competitions calendar, pending permit approvals.  
What is League Play?  

League play can be thought of as a tournament spread out over 3.5 weeks! 

Teams register via the MRS system and the OVA staff will assign pods of 5-8 teams to play on another over the 3.5-week period at their individual practice facilities. They can alternately run half day events to get multiple matches in with their assigned teams at their practice facility.  Teams will report their scores to the competitions staff, who will then create a playoff schedule for that pod.  Medals will be shipped out and rankings will be posted in preparation for tournaments January 2022 onwards (15U-16U).

Remember, league play will be included as a part of the OVA 2021-2022 regular season and will have an effect on your team’s ranking for the 2022 Ontario Championships (not including the ECI divisions).  

For the full league description, updated competition manual, COVID playing protocols, league play/tournament deadlines,  registration info, costs, what your entry fee gets you, please visit the OVA's Indoor Season page.

You can also access a full explanation of the indoor competition modification on the OVA Town Hall page for the Competition Modification slideshow presentation:

Information regarding each league pod, tournament protocols and safety plans will be posted on our up coming events information pages found here: 

https://www.ontariovolleyball.org/indoor-events-calendar

As league match results are submitted, they will be posted here: 

https://www.ontariovolleyball.org/indoor-past-events-and-results  

We would like to thank membership for your continued dedication to our sport and the resilience you have shown throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to have a great start to the 2021/2022 season! 

Any additional questions regarding November and December formats can be sent to the following Youth Competitions Staff: 

Mark Wiersma (16U-18U): mwiersma@ontariovolleyball.org   

Kaitlin Malyon (4v4 Rallyball-15U): kmalyon@ontariovolleyball.org