The clock is ticking down to the kick-off of Ontario Soccer Summit 2020

The wait is finally, almost over. 

The Ontario Soccer Summit 2020, presented by Respect in Sport, will take place this weekend, Feb. 21-23, 2020 at Redeemer University in Hamilton, ON, and we’ve got all the things you need to get ready. 

Speakers are coming in from all over the planet to deliver best-in-class development for coaches, match officials and administrators in Ontario. 

Click here for everything you need to make your weekend a memorable one. 

WATCH – Play Inspire Unite Podcast – Featuring: Kelly Murumets

Looking for something to get you in the mood for Ontario Soccer Summit?

Kelly Murumets, the former CEO of Tennis Canada and ParticipACTION, joins the Play Inspire Unite Podcast to speak about fitness levels in Canada, how they turned Tennis Canada into the emerging high-performance powerhouse it is today and gives a teaser of what to expect from her as a keynote speaker at Ontario Soccer Summit. 

Click here to watch the podcast.

Ontario Soccer Summit partners providing benefits exclusively to attendees This year, our partners have a lot of exclusive benefits in store for Ontario Soccer Summit 2020 attendees.  Register for the Ontario Soccer Summit today to take advantage of a variety of opportunities that can benefit your organization this coming season.  Click here to find out about some of the Ontario Soccer Summit partners’ exciting offerings.

Nominate deserving members of your community for the 2020 Centre Circle Awards The Centre Circle Awards are Ontario Soccer’s highest level of recognition and are presented annually to deserving soccer leaders and organizations nominated on the basis of their outstanding contributions to the development of soccer in Ontario and Canada.  Ontario Soccer recognizes leaders annually through the Centre Circle Awards and this year the 2020 Centre Circle Awards will be presented in Toronto on June. 14, 2020.  The deadline for submitting nominations is March 16, 2020.  Click here for more information on how to nominate someone in your community.

No time? Do it online. Take this online Goalkeeper Coach Course  Ontario Soccer is pleased to announce the brand new Ontario Soccer online Goalkeeper Coach Certificate.  For all aspiring Goalkeeping Coaches, this online course is your first step into Goalkeeper development and will cover the basics of developing goalkeepers.  Click here to read more about the course and how to apply.

C-License spots still available in Ottawa and Vaughan The first two C-License courses of 2020 have sold-out but Ontario Soccer is pleased to announce Ottawa and Vaughan will host C-License courses. Coaches who obtain a C-License Certification and will have the qualifications to be a Head Coach in some Regional Leagues, the OASL and an Assistant Coach in the OPDL.  Click here for more information and how to register for the Ottawa C-License.  Click here for more information and how to register for the Vaughan C-License.

Official reflects on personal success before Ontario Soccer Summit Ontario Match Official, Scott Bowman has officiated on some of the province’s biggest stages. This year he elevated his game to the Canadian Premier League, becoming the only non-Canada Soccer NextGen Program official to officiate in the Canadian first division game. Scott Bowman is set to join the star-studded Match Officiating panel at the Ontario Soccer Summit 2020, including the likes of former keynote speaker, Howard Webb, Bibiana Steinhaus, Joe Fletcher and Issac Raymond. Click here to read more about Scott Bowman’s story.

Retaining and developing our Match Officials through Mentorship Ontario Soccer’s Match Officials Mentorship program aims at creating a peer-to-peer environment to help develop and retain Match Officials at all levels. Ontario Soccer recently announced that there are a limited number of free Mentorship clinics still available to the membership as part of the grant provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Click here to learn more about the Match Official Mentorship program and how to host one in your community.

CPL officially announces Atletico Ottawa as an expansion franchise The Canadian Premier League formally brought the city of Ottawa into the fold last week, announcing the team name of the league’s first expansion franchise as Atletico Ottawa, while also unveiling the club’s first head coach.  Owned by La Liga outfit Club Atletico de Madrid, the new Ottawa team’s official colours are red, white and blue. Its crest is also similar to Club Atletico de Madrid.  Click here to read more about the announcement.

New faces and returning champions capture Ontario Indoor Cup  The second round of the Ontario Indoor Cup 2020 finals wrapped up recently at the Ontario Soccer Centre.  The U-13 and U-18 Boys and Girls divisions were in action, playing a tournament round on the Saturday and semi-finals and finals on the Sunday.  The winner’s circle saw some new faces and some returning champions, as four divisions crowned title winners.  Click here to find out who won at the Ontario Indoor Cup and all the coverage from the weekend.

WATCH – Play Inspire Unite Podcast – Featuring: Norm O’Reilly What are some sport marketing trends to pay attention to in 2020?  Norm O’Reilly, who is recognized as one of the leading scholars of the business of sport, joins us on the Play Inspire Unite podcast before his Ontario Soccer Summit 2020 keynote speech to share his thoughts on sports marketing in 2020, how to attract blue-chip brands and much more. Click here to watch the podcast with Norm O’Reilly.  Click here to purchase your Ontario Soccer Summit tickets. Great group discounts are available.

Canada Soccer announces four new National Club License holders  Canada Soccer has announced four new National Club License holders in Ontario which follows the initial cohort of 39 National Youth Club License holders and their acceptance into the OPDL for 2020-2021. The four clubs awarded the licenses include FC Durham, Kingston United, Rush Canada and Sigma FC. Click here to read more about this exciting announcement.

The Play Inspire Unite Podcast – Featuring: Johnny Misley and Peter Augruso The Play Inspire Unite Podcast is an interview series that features conversations with influential people from within Ontario Soccer and the Ontario Soccer membership. Discussing issues which impact the province, it’s designed to highlight the work of those who are showing us to Play, Inspire and Unite others in our community. This week we are joined by Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer Chief Executive Officer and Peter Augruso, Ontario Soccer President and Chair of the Board of Directors, for a special State of the Union podcast where they cover important initiatives in 2020, Ontario Soccer’s Road to 2026, challenges in the Northern Districts, futsal and lots more. Click here to watch the full podcast.

WATCH – Ontario Soccer Strategic Plan: Reflections and Ambitions Ontario Soccer announced its 2019-2021 Strategic Plan early in 2019.  At the Ontario Soccer Summit, delegates got a first look back on the recent successes at Ontario Soccer and a deeper dive into the areas Ontario Soccer will target over the next three years.  Click here to watch the Ontario Soccer Strategic Plan: Reflections and Ambitions.

What are the benefits of being an Ontario Soccer member? As the third-largest youth sports organization in Canada, Ontario Soccer is proud to serve a massive membership of over half a million Ontarians.  Our organization develops, supports and delivers programs and services throughout Ontario in partnership with grassroots communities, Clubs, Districts, Private Academies and many more.  Click here to read more about the benefits of being a member of Ontario Soccer.

Rowan’s Law Mandatory Implementation The Province of Ontario, at the present time, is the only province in Canada to enact Concussion Safety legislation throughout its sport system.  ‘Rowan’s Law’ received Royal Assent on March 7, 2018, and Section 5 of the Act, proclaiming a ‘Rowan’s Law Day’ was the only section that came into effect at that time.  However, in 2019, the remaining parts of the Act and the regulation have now come into effect in phases.  Click here to read more about Rowan’s Law and your organization’s responsibility from it.

Find the latest updates on OSCAR Ontario Soccer has added an additional page to its website where regular updates and changes to OSCAR can be found for those who are active in using the registration platform on a more consistent basis.  Recently, there have been updates, support insights, tip of the week and spotlight on an Ontario club.   Click here to read more about OSCAR and how to find updates.