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:
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