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. 

Four Ontario Futsal Cup finals coming up this weekend

Four Ontario Futsal Cup titles will be up for grabs this weekend at Durham College in Oshawa. 

The Men’s, Women’s and U-16 Boys and Girls divisions will all be in action on Saturday and Sunday, with the winner of the Men’s competition advancing on to the Futsal Canadian Championship, April 2-5, at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON. 

The Men’s and Women’s Ontario Futsal Cup finals will be broadcast live, while the U-16 Boys and Girls divisions will have extended coverage following the matches. 

Click here for more information on this weekend’s Ontario Futsal Cup finals. 

Register for the Gatorade 5v5 by Mar. 13. The winning teams win a trip to Spain

Ontario Soccer and Gatorade are pleased to announce registration for the 2020 Gatorade 5v5 event is now open but be sure to register before March 13 to book your spot. 

The winners will represent Canada at the Gatorade 5v5 Global Final in Barcelona, Spain in the late spring 2020. 

Click here to find out more information. 

Want to win a Nothers – The Awards Store Volunteer Recognition Grant? The deadline is March 15

Ontario Soccer and Nothers – The Awards Store recently debuted the Ontario Soccer Volunteer Recognition Program to acknowledge the valued contributions of volunteers across the province. 

The Ontario Soccer Volunteer Program aims to commemorate the work of volunteers across Ontario by providing a limited number of $500 grants. 

Click here to find out more about the program and how to apply for the grants. 

Ontario Soccer has provided an update on COVID-19

Further to Ontario Soccer’s information bulletin on Jan. 29, 2020 on COVID-19 and following protocols that are in place now for sport, corporate and cultural organizations, Ontario Soccer is suspending the traditional practice of handshakes between players and match officials in all matches effective immediately until further notice. 

Ontario Soccer is continuing to monitor the situation on a daily basis and will provide updated information as it becomes available. 

Click here for more information on COVID-19 and resources for your community. 

The Ontario Soccer Summit 2020 may be over but the learning opportunities will continue for the next month. 

Ontario Soccer is releasing select videos from keynote speeches, technical sessions and panel discussions. 

Today, dive into Dr. Norm O’Reilly’s keynote speech where he looks at the sport trends of today and tomorrow and goes deep on data and who is moving the needle in sports. 

Click here to watch Dr. Norm O’Reilly’s keynote speech. 

In September 2019, the Ontario Soccer Board of Directors, District Association Presidents and Ontario Registered Academies (ORA) formed a Project Working Group to work towards the full implementation of registered private academies into the mainstream Ontario Soccer competition and development system. 

The Working Group has targeted the 2021 Outdoor season for implementation. 

Click here for more information on ORA and the work completed to date. 

The Female Coach Mentorship Program deadline is Friday

Ontario Soccer is committed to supporting and developing female coaches in Ontario. 

The first seven years of the Female Coach Mentorship Program were a resounding success and Ontario Soccer is keeping the momentum going in year eight. 

Ontario Soccer is now seeking applications for the 2020 Female Coach Mentorship Program. 

Click here to find out about the qualifications and how to apply.

Register for the next C-License opportunity in Niagara Falls

The first three C-License courses of 2020 have sold-out but Ontario Soccer is pleased to announce Niagara Falls will host the next C-License course.

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 Niagara C-License. 

How does Ontario Soccer scout and track athlete development?

The second weekend of Provincial Projects 2020 recently took place at the Ontario Soccer Centre.  As the Ontario Soccer High Performance program continues to work towards selecting the Ontario Provincial Team, it’s important to remember that the process is a journey and not a destination.  Click here to learn more about how Ontario Soccer scouts, tracks and elevates players.

Learn about Froster Active Kids Youth Leadership initiative

Ontario Soccer and Froster Active Kids are pleased to announce a new Youth Leadership initiative that will kick-off with the upcoming 2020 outdoor season. 

The Froster Active Kids – Match Officials Youth Leaders program will support Ontario Soccer’s commitment to the advancement of young leaders throughout our soccer community. 

Click here to read more about his exciting announcement. 

No time? Do it online. Take the 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.

WATCH – Kelly Murumets’ Keynote on challenges as a female leader The Ontario Soccer Summit 2020 may be over but the learning opportunities will continue for the next month.  Ontario Soccer will be releasing videos from select keynote speeches, technical sessions and panel discussions over the coming weeks.  Today, plunge back into the keynote speech of Kelly Murumets, the former CEO of Tennis Canada and CEO and ParticipACTION spoke about her high-level career in sport as a female leader and a variety of wise tidbits to take back to their communities.  Click here to watch Kelly Murumets Ontario Soccer Summit keynote speech.

It was a historic weekend at Ontario Winter Games  For the first time ever, the sport of Futsal was included in the 2020 Ontario Winter Games.  Eight boys and 8 girls teams in the U-18 divisions competed for, not just Ontario Futsal Cup honours, but Ontario Winter Games gold.  Click here to find out who won the U-18 Boys division and find coverage from the final.  Click here to find out who won the U-18 Girls division and find coverage from the final.  Click here to watch highlights from the historic weekend at Ontario Winter Games.

Ontario Soccer Summit 2020 draws record attendance in Hamilton  The Ontario Soccer Summit, in partnership with Respect in Sport, continues to climb in attendance as well as stature.  The Ontario Soccer Summit 2020 set a record for paid attendance this year on the strength of the headlining keynote speaker Victor Montagliani, FIFA Vice-President and Concacaf President, who spoke to the Ontario membership about the valuable role their programming is playing in developing Canada’s Game.  The event also saw the announcement of the 2021 hosts which will be the City of Ottawa and Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association.  Click here for a recap of the weekend. Also, find coverage from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 of Ontario Soccer Summit.

WATCH – Discover. Develop. Excel – The Journey through the Ontario Soccer Summit Follow Ontario Soccer’s Lauren Maharaj as she takes you through the weekend that was for the Ontario Soccer Summit 2020.  Check out the behind-the-scenes footage as the last edition of the 2020 Discover. Develop. Excel. series comes to a close.  Click here to watch Discover. Develop. Excel.

Canada Soccer announces additional Club License Holders Canada Soccer has announced 20 Ontario organizations that have been approved as Canada Soccer Club License Provincial Level 1 or Quality Soccer Providers.  The approval of these organizations follows the announcement of the National Youth Club License holders in 2019 and early 2020.  Click here to find out which organizations were selected and more about Club Licensing.

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.