Covid-19 Updates

Covid-19 Update - December 5th, 2022

UPDATE:  Toronto Ultimate Club Return to Play Guidelines and Rule Modifications

Provided below are links to the TUC's COVID-19 Return to Play Policy Suite.  For reference, also provided below is the latest guidance (excerpts from the the Ministry of Health) for people who have been exposed to someone who is symptomatic or has tested positive for COVID-19 from the Government of Ontario for anyone who may want to know or are unsure of what they should do.

 

Covid-19 Update - February 4th, 2022

UPDATE:  Toronto Ultimate Club Return to Play Guidelines and Rule Modifications

Provided below are links to the TUC's COVID-19 Return to Play Policy Suite.  For reference, also provided below is a flow chart for people who have been exposed to someone who is symptomatic or has tested pisitive for COVID-19 from the Government of Ontario for anyone who may want to know or are unsure of what they should do.

 

Covid-19 Update - January 18th, 2022

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: TUC Fall Indoor Leagues and Winter Indoor Leagues Update

Dear Members,

The Toronto Ultimate Club continues to monitor COVID-19 developments in Toronto and beyond.

On January 5th, the Province of Ontario returned to a modified Step 2 of Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen to "blunt" the surge of OMICRON cases, at least until January 26th. Under the modified Step 2 of the Roadmap to Reopen, all indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities were closed as a public health measure, resulting in TUC cancelling all indoor programming until January 26th.

For the last couple of weeks, TUC has been liaising with venue providers regarding refunds/credits for the 21-day mandated indoor facilities closure and looking at ways to complete the Fall Indoor Season while minimally impacting the Winter League season.

2021 Fall Indoor Leagues

TUC leadership feels it is vital to complete the Fall Indoor Season and crown 2021 Fall Indoor League Champs somehow! The survey TUC sent out to the Fall Indoor League participants shows people are in favour of a one-day playoff date to close off the season.

We want to make that happen - and to do so, we're excited to announce that on Sunday, January 30th (afternoon between 12 pm and 5 pm), TUC will host the 2021 Fall Indoor League Championship "a la Sudbury's SnowPlate" at St. Patrick's (just down the road from Monarch) to crown the following league champions:

  1. Tuesday League
  2. Wednesday Parity League
  3. Thursday Elite League
  4. Sunday Masters League

The top 2 teams, based on the standings as of December 17th, will face off to be the league champs. The remaining teams/players in that league will be invited to watch and or play a pick-up game alongside the championship game.

TUC staff will be in touch with each league to provide more details regarding the championship on January 30th.

2022 Winter League Season Start Delayed

For all 2022 Winter Leagues set to start the week of January 24th, the start date is currently pushed back by at least one (1) week to the week of January 31st. Please note that for the Monday West League @ Lamport, the Winter League will begin as scheduled on February 28th.

21-Day Mandated Facility Closure Refunds/Credits

To ensure we continue to provide our members with value for their registration fees, TUC will be issuing refunds (less 10% admin fee) and credits per our refund policy for the 21 days of the Ontario Government-mandated closure as follows:

  1. Adult Leagues:
    1. The refund is based on the cost savings (reimbursement) for the venue for the mandated shutdown for the particular league.
    2. The cost-saving (reimbursement) is divided by the number of total teams (including any HAT teams) in the particular league.
    3. If the league has a HAT team or the league itself is a HAT league, the cost-saving (reimbursement) per team is divided by the number of individuals on the team to determine the individual registration credit/refund.
  2. Junior Programs and Leagues:
    1. The refund/credit is based on the number of weeks missed due to the mandated shut down and the program's cost per week (all Junior leagues and programs have a cost/week of ~$15/week).

Details of the refund/credit amount per league or program are provided below:

Day/League Venue Refund
(For Government-Mandated Closure)
# of Weeks of League Play #
Closure Days		 Team Refund Individuals Refund
Monday (West) Lamport Stadium*** 10 3 $370.00 $35.00
Tuesday (East/6s) Monarch Park 13 2 $345.00 $25.00
Wednesday (TPL) Monarch Park 13 3   $45.00
Thursday (Elite/6s) Monarch Park 13 3 $570.00  
Thursday (HAT/6s) Downsview 13 3   $35.00
Sunday (Masters/6s) Monarch Park 12 3   $35.00
Thursday East (u19)  Monarch Park 13 3   $45.00
Thursday West (U19) Downsview 13 3   $45.00
Sunday (U10) Monarch Park 12 3   $45.00
Sunday (u12) Monarch Park 12 3   $45.00
Sunday (u16) Monarch Park 12 3   $45.00

*** Lamport: League start date was 13 December 2021 (4 weeks later than planned/advertised) and the end date is 21 February 2022.

Based on our Refund Policy, we are offering the following three options to our members concerning their 2021 Fall Indoor League or Program "refund":

  1. The full refund amount is applied as a credit on Zuluru to your TUC account (so there is no physical exchange of cash and safeguards our cash flow).
    1. Credits for teams, team captains can request that the credit be split amongst the rostered (full-time) team members via providing a list to TUC.
  2. The refund amount, less 10% admin fee or $5 surcharge, whichever is greater, is issued to the payment card on which the purchase was made.
  3. The refund can also be transferred to TUC as a donation (see note below about communications on the reason for the ask of donation).

Please note that these credits/refunds will be issued by the end of January.

As a reminder, TUC is a not-for-profit, and our revenue generation is through membership and league fees. Not-for-profit models are designed to break even year-over-year. As we have communicated out over the past two years, we have been running at a deficit and leveraging the field fund to cover the deficit. Strides have been made to reduce the deficit by increasing league fees to have leagues run cost-neutral; however, we are still in the transition towards reducing this operational deficit. Without revenue, our business operations cannot be maintained to provide services to the club (liaising with venues, preparing and scheduling for the upcoming seasons, staying current on protocols to ensure a safe return to play, etc.).

Lastly, we have such a unique community built by every one of our valued members. It is hard times like these that call on the strength of the community to pull through. Suppose players and teams wish to help support the club and fellow members. In that case, they can e-mail back their credit/refund as a donation to help support TUC during this challenging time so that we may continue to enjoy ultimate in Toronto once we get through this ongoing pandemic. If this is something you would like to do, please send us a message at adults@tuc.org.

Thank you all for your kindness and support.

We look forward to taking the fields together again soon!

Stay safe,

Jo Malisani
Executive Director

Covid-19 Update - January 4th, 2022

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: OMICRON UPDATE #3 – TUC PROGRAMMING CANCELLED UNTIL 26 JANUARY 2022

Dear Members,

As we continue to monitor the developments around the OMICRON variant, in Toronto, in Ontario, across Canada and around the World, TUC leadership is committed to providing you, our fellow members, with the latest information.

Last week, TUC leadership reached out to all Fall Indoor participants to advise that TUC would extend the hiatus from 3 January to 10 January and take the pulse on comfort level with returning to Ultimate and receive feedback on playoff structure for the impacted leagues.

Yesterday, the Government of Ontario announced that effective 5 January 2022 at 12:01 am, Ontario will return to a modified Step 2 of Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen to "blunt" the surge of OMICRON cases to protect and safeguard our health care system and essential services. Ontario will remain in this modified Step 2 for at least 21 days to evaluate the impacts of these time-limited public health measures. Under the modified Step 2 of the Roadmap to Reopen, all indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities will be closed as a public health measure.

As a result, all TUC programming will be cancelled for at least 21 days, with the earliest potential to return on 26 January 2022.

Earlier this afternoon, Mayor Tory and Toronto's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. de Villa, urged Torontonians, in response to OMICRON, to use the tools we have to protect ourselves and each other to maintain the health care system in Toronto by:

  • Limiting contact with those outside your household.
  • If you are feeling unwell, stay home.
  • Wear a well-fitting mask.
  • Book and get your booster dose.

TUC will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as appropriate.

Stay safe,

Jo Malisani
Executive Director

Covid-19 Update - December 20th, 2021

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: COVID-19 UPDATE – ALL TUC PROGRAMMING CANCELLED UNTIL 3 JANUARY 2022

Dear Fellow Members,

Over the past week, TUC Leadership has been closely monitoring the pandemic, following press conferences, attending Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries meetings, Ontario Trillium Health Partner webinars, reading bulletins, and discussing and creating what-if plans based on the Government of Ontario’s additional restrictions, and the surging case counts and infection rates.

In response to Premier Doug Ford’s announcement on Friday regarding additional restrictions due to the surge in daily COVID-19 cases, namely indoor venue capacity limits, TUC worked with our venue providers to clarify what, if any, impacts there are to TUC programming. Our venues advised that capacity limits per field would be approximately 40 to 45 people (depending on the facility).

TUC also set up our own evaluation system to determine whether we feel comfortable running, and unfortunately, we have now surpassed those thresholds. While the City of the Toronto, and the Ontario Provincial Government have not banned sports, Dr. Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and Toronto’s Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Na-Koshie Lamptey are recommending that “we reduce in-person contact and limit gathering sizes” to slow the spread and allow more time for Ontarians to get fully vaccinated or those eligible to get their booster dose”.

In our eyes, running ultimate leagues and programs is not a risk we are willing to take at this time. We are so close to the holidays and do not want to see anyone forced into isolation.

We’ve also had a number of players, teams, parents and coaches inform us that they are not comfortable playing in this current climate.

Considering all the above, TUC Leadership has made the difficult decision to cancel all programming effective today, through to the end of 2021.

This will therefore conclude all programming planned ahead of the Holiday Break. This is not the way we wanted to close out the 2021 calendar year, but it has been a tremendous joy to see everyone out playing and enjoying the sport from July through to now!

TUC wants to thank all of you, our members, for trusting us to make ultimate as safe as possible, and an extra big thanks to our captains and coaches for their time and taking the brave steps back to make our Summer, Fall Outdoor and Fall Indoor seasons to date, great.

We also encourage members, if you are eligible to book your booster dose.

TUC will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as appropriate.

Stay safe,


Jo Malisani
Executive Director

Covid-19 Update - December 17th, 2021

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: COVID-19 UPDATE - OMICRON VARIANT

Dear Fellow Members,

TUC Leadership continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally, and most recently, the OMICRON variant of concern.

Wednesday and today, Premier Doug Ford announced restrictions due to the surge in daily COVID-19 cases. TUC has been working with venue providers to understand what, if any, impacts there may be to our capacity limits. With today's announcement of additional restrictions, TUC leadership will continue to liaise with our venue providers. When these measures become available, TUC will review them and advise how (and if) they affect TUC leagues and programs.

Lastly, TUC will continue with Winter Indoor registrations; however, there will be a pause on payments (i.e., upon registration, payment will not be required but will be collected on a later date).

TUC will continue to provide updates as appropriate.

Kind Regards,


Jo Malisani
Executive Director

Covid-19 Update - September 11th, 2021

COVID-19 UPDATE: Return to Play Framework and Vaccination Policy

Hello Fellow TUC Members!

On 1 September 2021, the Ontario Government announced that there would be proof of Vaccination to access specific settings and facilities.  TUC leadership has reviewed the provincial requirement and liaised with our venue and service providers about the impact of Ontario's proof of vaccination regulation on TUC.  After much discussion and review, we will be instituting a Vaccination Policy for the Fall and Winter Indoor season to be compliant with Provincial and local regulations.  The Policy will be a part of our COVID-19 Safe Return to Play document.

The Policy will require all TUC participants (players, coaches, staff, volunteers, etc.) who are born in, or before 2009 to be fully vaccinated with an approved Health Canada two-dose or one-dose vaccine series, unless the individual has a valid medical reason or has an approved exemption under the Ontario Human Rights Code. At present, participants who are born in or after 2010 are not eligible to be vaccinated and will not be required to be vaccinated to participate.

To further support the safety of our membership, our junior programming for age categorizations of U13, U12, U10 will be required to wear a mask during all FALL OUTDOOR and FALL/WINTER INDOOR programming.

The Vaccine Policy and Mask Mandate for our junior Learn to Play (U13/U12 and U10) programs puts our members' safety and well-being as the top priority as we create the safest environment possible to begin our much-anticipated return to indoor Ultimate programming.
 

TUC Leadership

 

UPDATE - POINT OF CLARITY

For additional clarity to the above, the mask mandate will start for Junior Learn to Play Programming for the FALL OUTDOOR SEASON (September 12th), and the Vaccination Policy will come into effect when we head INDOORS in mid- to late-October to comply with Government Non-Essential Business Regulations.  We will release additional details on the Vaccination Policy in the next few weeks.

Covid-19 Update - June 30th, 2021

COVID-19 UPDATE: TUC Ultimate Leagues and Programs Resuming July 12th for Summer 2021

The time we’ve all been waiting for is finally here – TUC Ultimate Leagues are Resuming for Summer 2021!

Starting July 12, TUC will be running adult leagues, juniors programming and touring team practices. As we continue to adhere strictly to government and public health guidelines, and in the interest of the health and safety of our members, some modifications will be in effect as we return to the field this summer. These will include:

  • TUC leagues for 2021 will be 5v5.
  • Wellness screenings are required prior to each game or practice.
  • COVID-19 rule modifications: silent stall count to 5, 1-meter marking, 2 meter spacing on sidelines.
  • Hand and disc-sanitization before, during (half-time at a minimum) and after.
  • Participants must be TUC members, and attendance records kept for every game/practice to aid public health authorities with contact tracing.
  • For the first part of the season, in Step 2, masks will be required. TUC leadership will re-evaluate this requirement as government and public health authorities release the details of Step 3 of Ontario’s reopening framework.

TUC leadership is recommending, that those wishing to return to play this summer and who are eligible to be vaccinated, be at least partially vaccinated.

You can review the full list of TUC COVID-19 Rule Modifications here, and TUC's latest Mandatory Safe Return to Play - COVID-19 Prevention Plan and Protocols here.

We are pleased that the Ontario Government's new reopening framework no longer requires sports leagues to create mini-leagues/cohorts of 4 teams. For summer 2021 leagues, we will use our ladder system providing we have enough teams to do so.

2021 Summer League Registrations

Registration is currently open! If your team has pre-registered, we have been reaching out to the team captain(s) to finalize payment and confirm their spot in the league. If you have not yet registered for the summer 2021 season, there is still time! Register a team or as an individual. We will do our best to help connect individual registrants with teams in need of players.

Below are all our 2021 Summer Season offerings and registrations links.

Day

Dates

Game Times

Divisions

Ratio

Location

Monday

July 12 - Aug 30

6:45pm

East / West

3:2 or 2:3

Various

Tuesday

July 13 - Aug 31

6:45pm

East / West

3:2 or 2:3

Various

Wednesday

July 14 - Sept 1

6:45pm

Comp / East / West

3:2 or 2:3

Various

Wednesday Single Gender

July 14 - Sept 1

6:45pm

Comp Open / Comp Women's

N/A

Various

Thursday

July 15 - Sept 2

6:45pm

East / West

3:2 or 2:3

Various

Sunday

July 18 - Aug 29th

5:00 - 7:00 pm

Masters / Grand Masters

3:2 or 2:3

Various

Junior and Young Adult Leagues

U13 Development and Games

Week of July 12 - Week of Aug 30

6:30pm

East (Mon) / West (Tue)

N/A

Agincourt CI / York Memorial CI

U18 5v5 Development Leagues

Week of July 12 - Week of Aug 30

6:30pm

East (Mon) / West (Tue)

N/A

Agincourt CI / York Memorial CI

U21 5v5 Young Adult Leagues

Week of July 12 - Week of Aug 30

6:30pm

East (Thr) / West (Tue)

3:2 or 2:3

Earl Haig SS / Caledonia Park

Junior Instructional Programs

U13 Instructional East

July 18 - Aug 29

3:00 - 4:40pm

East (Sun)

N/A

Greenwood

U13 Instructional West

July 15 - Sept 2

6:30pm

West (Thr)

N/A

Runnymede CI

U18 Instructional East

July 18 - Aug 29

3:00 - 4:40pm

East (Sun)

N/A

Greenwood

U18 Instructional West

July 15 - Sept 2

6:30pm

West (Thr)

N/A

Runnymede CI

2021 Summer Practice Fields

We know that some teams are eager to get back out on the field and are ready to play, while others may still be a little hesitant. To accommodate teams that may not be quite ready to begin playing this summer, and for those who perhaps want to have a practice night in addition to playing in the league, we are offering teams the ability to rent practice field space this summer. Costs for practice fields will vary by location. Details can be found in the request form below.

To request practice field usage through TUC, submit the Google Form here ==> https://forms.gle/drKAQftpkk44ptvaA

Please complete the field request form as soon as possible. To get you on the field the week of July 12th, we will require your request by July 5th.

We look forward to seeing you on the field in a few weeks!

TUC Leadership

Covid-19 Update - June 11th, 2021

IMPORTANT MESSAGE COVID-19 UPDATE: TUC Re-Opening Announcement

Dear Members,

The GAME ON Coalition of Outdoor Sports, a group of several outdoor Provincial Sport Organizations and outdoor sports clubs, including the Toronto Ultimate Club, met with the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries on Wednesday regarding our concerns with the Province’s Roadmap to Re-opening Ontario plan.

The meeting went very well, and TUC is encouraged by the Government’s direction with the Roadmap to Re-opening.

For Step 1, the Ministry has confirmed that on a large, outdoor facility like a soccer field, more than one group of 10 participants is permitted.  However, these groups cannot cross over or inter-mingle.  Please note that the number 10 does not include coaches, instructors, trainers or clinicians.

The Ministry has also confirmed that masks and contact tracing requirements will remain in effect for Step 1 of the Roadmap to Re-opening.

For Step 1, the Re-opening regulations state practices are not permitted.  The coalition sought clarity on this statement, and the Ministry confirmed that each Sport defines for its members what is “practice” and what is “training”.  For TUC’s purposes, all practice activities, with the exception of scrimmages, and inter-squad scrimmages, constitutes training.

Per the Provincial Roadmap to Re-opening regulations, scrimmages and games are not permitted in Step 1.

TUC feels the discussions regarding the regulations for Step 2 and Step 3 of the Roadmap to Re-opening for Sport were very positive, and we look forward to sharing those outcomes with you, our members in the coming week or so.

With the clarity provided by the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Cultural Industries on what is permitted for Sport in Step 1, TUC will be announcing and opening up registrations for clinics and tune-up training sessions early next week to get the rust off and prepare for the resumption of league games and programs Step 2, hopefully in early to mid-July.

We look forward to seeing everyone on the ultimate field soon!

Kind Regards,

Jo Malisani (she/her)
Executive Director
Toronto Ultimate Club

Covid-19 Update - November 20th, 2020

COVID-19 UPDATE: What the Red Level Restrictions Mean to TUC

Dear Fellow TUC Members,

TUC Leadership continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.

On 3 November 2020, Premier Doug Ford announced the Province's new framework (COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open), which afforded more flexibility and a targeted approach to balance public health and the economy.

This new framework has five (5) phases/levels: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red and Grey, with each level/phase having more stringent restrictions. Green being the equivalent of Stage 3, and Grey, being a lockdown, like Stage 1.

On 3 November, Doug Ford announced that Toronto would remain in modified Stage 2 until 14 November, at the request of Toronto Public Health. And that on 14 November, Toronto would shift to the new system in the Orange Phase. At that time, TUC leadership began to work with our venue providers to discuss the fall indoor season.

On Tuesday, 10 November, Toronto Public Health announced that Toronto would, on 14 November, move into the Red phase of the new framework and would remain in the Red phase for twenty-eight (28) days. In the Red phase, team sports are not allowed to play games or scrimmage, and can only train in groups of 10 participants (or less). In addition to the base restrictions of the Red phase, Dr. De Villa has strongly recommended that Torontonians limit all contact to those in their household.

Unfortunately, in that vein, TUC activities will remain suspended to align with the new framework, and per our local Public Health authority's recommendation.

Lastly, we know that on Friday, 20 November (today), that Premier Ford will be announcing additional restrictions, and TUC leadership will review these measures and will advise how and if they affect TUC and its programming.

Kind Regards,

Jo Malisani
Executive Director

Covid-19 Update - October 4th, 2020

TUC Fall Outdoor Programs Cancelled

Good Morning Athletes, Parents and Coaches,

Over the past 3 days, the TUC staff have been watching press conferences, reading bulletins, and discussing and creating what-ifs plans regarding case numbers and infection rates.

We’ve set up our own evaluation system to determine whether we feel comfortable running, and unfortunately, we have surpassed those thresholds. While the City of Toronto has not banned outdoor sports, we know that Toronto Public Health has ceased contact tracing in light of overwhelming case counts. Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. DeVilla, has also recommended “as much as possible that we only consider leaving our homes for essential activities.”

In our eyes, running an ultimate program is not a risk we’re willing to take when the public health system is strained, and the health of so many people is on the line.

We’ve also had a number of parents and coaches inform us they would not be able to attend today (while the weather has not been a significant factor in our decision, it has likely been a consideration for many who have already opted out of today’s programs).

In light of all of the above, we are making the difficult decision to cancel today’s session.

This will unfortunately conclude our Fall Outdoor season. It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but, given the summer that we had, it was a tremendous joy to get out and see everyone enjoying the sport over the past 3 weekends.

I want to thank all of you for trusting us to make ultimate as safe as possible under these conditions, and an extra big thanks to all of our coaches who donated their time, and took the brave steps back onto the field to make these programs so amazing. I can’t say enough about all of you, and I really wish we could take the field one last time so that we could give you all the big round of applause you deserve.

Because this was not a mandated closure, but one we chose to enact ourselves, we will be automatically applying a credit of $12.50 to everyone who registered for the class. TUC has been under significant financial strain over the past 7 months, and so:

  1. If you require a refund, rather than a credit, please let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate you.
  2. If you would like to donate your credit to the club, please let us know, and we’ll mark it as such.

Once again, thank you, and we hope to see you all on the fields very soon!

Stay safe,
Jamie, on behalf of the TUC Staff

Covid-19 Update - July 30th, 2020

Stage 2.5 Return to Play - Pick-up Event Thursday, August 6th - Registration Open Now!

We are pleased to offer our first 5v5 pick-up game of the year! It will take place on Thursday, August 6th, 2020 at Runnymede from 7:00 to 8:15 P.M.! This event will be limited to 20 participants!  

TUC Staff will be onsite to lead and guide participants through our Safe Return to Play Guidelines, as well as our Return to Play Rule Modifications.

Sign-up today!

Stage 3 Return to Play Offerings for Individuals - Summer Registration Opens August 3rd!

We know many of you are excited about the City of Toronto entering Stage 3 of the Province of Ontario's Reopening Framework today, as are we!

We are excited to announce details of our offerings for August!

We will be offering Adult Pick-up Leagues for those whose summer teams are not participating in our 4-week summer adult leagues. These Pick-up Leagues require sign-up and will be limited to 50 participants to adhere to Government Return to Play Guidelines. These leagues might be the only way to play twice per week in Ontario!

All Adult Pick-Up League registrations will open on Monday, August 3rd, 2020, at 5:00 P.M.

In addition to our Adult Pick-up offerings, we are also pleased to announce the following Junior Offerings:

More details about our Junior Summer 2020 Program can be found here.

All Junior Summer Program registrations will open on Monday, August 3rd, 2020, at 5:00 P.M.

Fall Outdoor League Plans

Lastly, we wanted to share our plans for the Fall Outdoor Season.

We anticipate that the City of Toronto will still be in Stage 3 and as such, we are planning to run a 4 to 5 week Fall Outdoor Season. We will have a week off between our summer season and our fall season so that we have a 7-day "isolation" period so that we can reset the league and change up the small groups (cohorts/pods). Please note, so of our usual outdoor venues, like Lamport, will not technically be outdoor, as they were unable to take down their domes.

We anticipate announcing our Fall Outdoor offerings in the coming weeks, and we look forward to seeing more of you on the ultimate field!

Kind Regards,
TUC Staff - Jamie, Jo, and Matt.

Covid 19 Update - July 23rd, 2020

On Monday, July 13th, 2020, Premier Doug Ford announced that regions of Ontario would begin to enter Stage 3 as of Friday, July 17th, 2020 of the Province of Ontario's Reopening Framework. Further to that, Premier Ford, on Monday, July 20th, 2020, announced that all regions except Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex would enter Stage 3 on Friday, July 24th, 2020.  

While Toronto remains in Stage 2, we anticipate that we will enter Stage 3 in the coming week(s), and we wanted to share what that means for the Toronto Ultimate Club.

Over the last few weeks, TUC leadership and staff have:

  • Worked and liaised with other Sports Organizations (Ultimate Canada, Ontario Ultimate, OCUA, UGM, and other provincial and local sports organizations) on Return to Play Rule Modifications for Stage 3.
  • Drafted TUC's COVID-19 Return to Play Rule Modifications. You can read the full document here.   
  • Published TUC's Safe Return to Play - COVID-19 Guidelines. You can access the working document here.  

 

When we enter Stage 3 and permits are approved, all TUC events (training, clinics, games, etc.) must follow the approved Safe Return to Play guidelines.

Some Key Updates from the Province’s Stage 2 to Stage 3 Reopening Framework’s Guidelines:

  • Amateur and recreational sports leagues may resume so long as they do not allow prolonged or deliberate physical contact between players or if they have modifications to avoid physical contact between players.
  • Leagues must contain no more than 50 participants in total. If the number of participants exceeds 50, the league can divide into smaller groups (cohorts/pods) of no more than 50 people.
  • Additionally, players are not permitted to play against players outside of their league or group of 50.
  • Spectators are permitted and are subject to the mass gathering limits, maintain 2 metres (6 feet) physical distancing from other spectators and the participants.  

 

With the above considerations, TUC's goal is to have a 4-week season commencing in August, with potentially an exhibition game before season start (dependent on when Toronto enters Stage 3, and when permits are issued). 

To ensure we adhere to cohorts/groups of 50 participants or less:

  • For our Adult leagues, TUC will be creating divisions of 4 teams, and teams will have a maximum roster size of 12.  
  • For our Junior leagues (leagues with gameplay), athlete numbers will be limited to 45 athletes.
  • For our development (clinics/junior instructional) program, athlete numbers will be capped at 20 to 30 athletes.

 

Adult Summer League Registrations are open for both teams and individuals. Check out our 2020 Summer League Page for more information and to register.  

Once TUC gets the go-ahead from our permit providers and the appropriate municipal authorities, we will communicate out the start dates of our Summer Leagues and Programs to you, our members!

 

Covid 19 - Update July 3rd, 2020

On Wednesday, June 24th, 2020, the City of Toronto officially announced that the City had entered Stage 2 of the Province of Ontario's reopening framework, and we wanted to share what that means for the Toronto Ultimate Club.  Over the last several weeks, TUC leadership has been:

  1. Working and liaising with the City regarding what Return to Play activities look like within Stage 2.
  2. Working with Sports Organizations (Ultimate Canada, Ontario Ultimate, and other provincial and local sports organizations) to create and collaborate on what Return to Play looks like, as well as Return to Play guidelines for Ultimate.
  3. Submitting Return to Play Guidelines from our recognized national and provincial sporting governing bodies to the City of Toronto as a part of the Stage 2 permit application process.
  4. Drafting TUC specific Return to Play Guidelines which incorporates our recognized sport governing body’s guidelines, as well as municipal guidance that is currently under review for approval.

If/when we Return to Play within the City of Toronto's Stage 2 guidelines, and permits are approved, all TUC events (training, practice, clinics, etc.) must follow the approved Return to Play guidelines.

Some Key Points to the Return to Play Guidelines in Stage 2:

  • Team sports are allowed to ONLY TRAIN (NO GAMES/SCRIMMAGES).
  • Only 10 participants are allowed in the permitted space.
  • Participants are to arrive in their training kit ready to train (sports are to follow the arrive --> train --> leave model).
  • There will be designated entry and exit point(s) (TUC will update the Fields section in Zuluru to include these designated entry/exit points).
  • All participants must complete a Wellness Screening before they leave for the field. TUC will also be doing a "symptom check" on arrival at the field.
  • Part of the wellness screening will include signing a declaration of compliance, that states participants:
    • Are Symptom-free,
    • And members of their household have been Symptom-free for the past 14 days,
    • Have not travelled outside of Canada or the Province of Ontario in the last 14 days.
    • A minimum sanitization schedule must be in place for participants and equipment (ex. before the start of the session, at least once during the session, and after the session).
  • Participants are to bring their own water bottle and ensure their bottle has their name on it (no sharing).
  • Maintain 2 metres (6 feet) distancing during the session.
  • No spectators (minors can have 1 parent/guardian present, but this parent/guardian is considered a part of the participant numbers).

Once TUC gets the go-ahead from our permit providers and the appropriate municipal authorities, we will communicate out any offerings that we will be able to provide to our membership while we are in Stage 2, as well as the approved Return to Play Guidelines to the membership.

 

Covid 19 - Update June 8th, 2020


Ultimate Canada has just released guidelines for those opting to begin throwing again: http://ow.ly/2FCn50A1XeE

At this time, playing catch is allowed in Toronto, but no team sports, and no groups of more than 5. For the most up-to-date information on what is allowed, please visit https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-latest-city-of-toronto-news/affected-city-services/ and check under the "Parks" menu item. 

 

Covid 19 - Update April 24th, 2020

Toronto Ultimate Club - 2020 Summer Season

*** Please note - The Following Information is meant to provide some insight into what an eventual return to the fields might look like. We still do not know when that return will occur, and it is unlikely that all of the procedures below would be implemented simulanteously ***

When and How Can We Return to Play?

The road back to 7v7 ultimate in Toronto depends most heavily on the advice of our local, provincial, and federal governments and health organizations.

With that in mind, we’ve been brainstorming what the road back might look like, and we thought it would be helpful to share those plans.


Timing: It’s likely that every facet of your life currently has an ever-shifting timeline, and projections on when things might get back to normal. At this time (April 23rd), we are hoping that we can have a 10-week Summer 2020 season, which would begin the first week of July, and run through until playoffs in September.

The Shifting Timeline:  It should come as no surprise that a July start date cannot be guaranteed. Aside from the season potentially shifting/condensing further into 2020, we may also see a situation where regulations are slowly eased, or where they are fluctuated throughout potential waves of the Covid-19 virus.

This may affect the size of teams, and the total number of players that can be on the field at once (including transitions between games). We may face situations where team sizes need to start smaller than 7v7, but then may grow (or need to be further condensed).

Game Modifications:

There is a broad spectrum of how this may take shape, but here are some of the ideas that we are preparing for. Of course they may not all be introduced, but we want to consider all of our options as we believe that playing-with-modifications is better than not playing at all. 

·        Games are smaller than 7v7. Likely 5v5, but possibly all the way down to 3v3.

·        Increased physical buffer sizes between fields

·        Increased buffer times between games (reducing the need for 4 teams to be at a single field during transition). Members encouraged to depart quickly, and wait in cars or outside venue before getting to field. This may shorten game times slightly.

·        Teams being assigned different parking lots/entrances to multi-field locations

·        Mandatory disc sanitization schedule (sanitize, or change the disc every x points, or x minutes). 

·         Captain’s Checklist before each game – similar to many current essential employers, each player would be asked if they have experienced symptoms prior to gameplay.

·        Enhanced monitoring from TUC Staff: If there is a suspected case of Covid-19 within TUC that may have exposed other members to risk, staff will follow up with those at risk, and may adjust schedules as needed.

·        Mandatory face-coverings/buffs for all players.

·        Mandatory gloves/hand sanitization.

·        No spitting/expelling of fluids (please, just never do this).

·     Increase the marking distance.

·     Verbal stall counts only begin at 5 (reduces close-proximity speaking by ~80%+).

·       Teams using their own discs on offense. The defense touching the disc creates a turn (just knock it down). Play than pauses while the disc is switched. Alternatively, teams could play 1-possession points, alternating O and D (These would cause significant change to gameplay, and are likely some of the last alterations we would consider).

Adult and Junior Comp/Elite/Touring Notice:

Ultimate Canada is still reviewing if CUC’s may occur, and what they might look like if they do. The added risks of travelling mean that the touring season may be at greater risk of being cancelled than local play.

TUC staff are monitoring this situation, and planning contingencies to provide expanded competitive and elite divisions within the city, including Adult and Junior Open and Womxn’s leagues.

If CUC’s are not able to run, or if the club season is cut excessively short, TUC will look to run an Elite/Touring tournament in the Fall, assuming there is demand and provincial approval for such an event. 

 

Covid-19 Update #5

Dear Fellow Members,

TUC Leadership continues to monitor the developments around COVID-19 in Toronto, within Ontario, across Canada, and around the Globe. We continue to be committed to providing you, our fellow members with the latest information.

Federal, provincial and local governments and their respective public health agencies continue to urge us to do our part via social distancing measures, and self-isolation to "plank the curve" and reduce the spread of this virus. In addition to this guidance, on Monday, March 23rd, Mayor John Tory declared an Emergency in the city of Toronto. Today the city announced that effective immediately, all City-owned parks, sports fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, outdoor fitness equipment and Frisbee golf locations are closed to stop the spread of COVID-19.  

In addition to these public health measures to mitigate community spread, government agencies are also implementing financial measures: federally, with the passage of Bill C-13, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, provincially with Ontario's Action Plan, Responding to COVID-19 and locally with Toronto's COVID-19: Economic Support & Recovery Task Force  to support individuals and small business during this unprecedented crisis.  

To the members of our TUC community who are front line workers - health care professionals, emergency services personnel, grocers, pharmacists, etc. - thank you for your services!

Let's continue to support the front line workers in our community, by doing our part - staying home, and practising physical distancing and TUC leadership will continue to find ways to keep us socially connected with our TUC@HOME series, watch parties and some FREE webinars.  

We will continue to issue updates as appropriate, when guidance and advice from governmental agencies, specifically relates to the Toronto Ultimate Club.

Lastly, we have launched a COVID-19 resource centre on our website that is accessible from our home page and contains our media releases and the resources we've been sharing throughout this crisis. We urge you to continue to check out this webpage.

Again, as a reminder, please take a moment to read through these everyday actions that will help you, friends and family remain healthy:

  • We encourage all members to wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer. 
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are ill.
  • If you are feeling unwell, stay home.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue (immediately throw the tissue in the garbage and wash your hands).
  • If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or arm.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.
  • Avoid mass gatherings.
  • Avoid crowds.
  • Keep 2 metres (6 feet) away from others.
  • Limit your trips outdoors.
  • Stay physically active indoors via aerobics or online exercise classes.
  • And if you must go out for walks or exercise, keep your distance from others.

We have also provided links below to resources from the World Health Organization (WHO), Health Canada, Department of Finance Canada, Public Health Ontario (PHO), and Toronto Public Health (TPH) so that you can access the latest information about COVID-19:

Stay home, stay safe, and stay connected!

Kindest Regards.

Jo Malisani
Executive Director

 

Covid-19 Update #4


Dear Fellow Members,

TUC Leadership continues to monitor the developments around COVID-19 in Toronto, in Ontario, across Canada, and around the World. We are committed to providing you, our fellow members with the latest information.

The last seventy-two (72) hours, has brought significant change for all of us as we all do our part: social distancing measures, and self-isolation to "flatten the curve" to mitigate the spread of this virus and break the chain of community spread.  

To the members of the TUC community who are front line workers - health care professionals, emergency services personnel, grocers, pharmacists, etc. - thank you.

TUC leadership continues to work on plans for our return to play. On Sunday, March 15th, we announced our short-term plan, with a tentative resumption of play on April 5th (The City of Toronto still anticipates a tentative date of April 5th for services to resume).  

We've resumed planning for the longer-term. And while we are in uncertain times, we anticipate we will have a Summer season. We will be announcing our Summer League registration dates in the coming days, and what that registration will look like given the uncertain climate.

Ultimate (and sport in general) is more than just a game or a means to be active - it is a happy place, a community, a friendship group, a support system, and a family, and in uncertain times, we need these more than ever. So, with that in mind, on Tuesday, March 17th, we launched the first installment of our TUC@HOME series. We will continue to release content several times a week with topics ranging from drills you can do at home, to strategy tips, to organizing watch parties, to sourcing FREE webinars for our membership.  

With federal, provincial and local public health authorities and government agencies holding daily press conferences to advise and keep the public apprised of the latest information regarding COVID-19, TUC will be issuing updates as appropriate moving forward, and specifically when those authorities and agencies guidance/advice impacts or relates to TUC.

Continue to check out our Facebook Page, the TUC website, and our Newsletter.

Again, as a reminder, please take a moment to read through these everyday actions that will help you, friends and family remain healthy:

  • We encourage all members to wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer. 
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are ill.
  • If you are feeling unwell, stay home.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue (immediately throw the tissue in the garbage and wash your hands).
  • If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or arm.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.
  • Avoid mass gatherings.
  • Avoid crowds.
  • Keep 2 metres (6 feet) away from others.

We have also provided links below to resources from the World Health Organization (WHO), Health Canada, Department of Finance Canada, Public Health Ontario (PHO), and Toronto Public Health (TPH) so that you can access the latest information about COVID-19:

Be kind, stay connected and stay safe!

Kindest Regards.

Jo Malisani
Executive Director

 

Covid-19 Update #3

Dear Members,

As we continue to monitor the developments surrounding COVID-19, in Toronto, in Ontario, and across the world, TUC leadership continues to keep up to date with the latest information and remains focused on providing our members with information to protect themselves.

While the public health risk remains low, and COVID-19 is not circulating locally in Toronto, over the last few days, local, provincial and federal agencies have made several recommendations (social distancing measures) to "flatten the curve":

  • Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the Minister of Health recommended closure of licensed childcare facilities, and cancellation of March Break camps.
  • In response to TPH, the City of Toronto has canceled programs, events, and several facilities (including Lamport), with a tentative date of service resumption on 5 April.

On Thursday, March 12th, TUC announced that effective immediately, we were implementing social distancing measures and canceled all programs for two weeks (until 29 March 2020) to do our part to flatten the curve. We now anticipate that the suspension of TUC programming will be extended with play tentatively resuming on 5 April to align with the School Boards and the City of Toronto (Lamport).

Also, TUC has been hard at work discussing plans for our return to play. As of Friday evening, if the suspension is short-term (two-three weeks) we are exploring the possibility of rescheduling the missed/suspended weeks by moving outdoors; using our short break between our Winter Season end and Summer Season start, and pushing back the Summer Season start by one week to get the games in.  We are currently working with our venue providers to discuss and finalize this plan. We will continue to keep you apprised of the situation.

During the hiatus, we are also exploring ways to continue to keep our membership engaged and connected to maintain that sense of community, so we are looking at the possibilities of webinars, using social media, etc. to discuss topics like Spirit of the Game, and celebrating and sharing clubs 40-year history.

We will continue to provide updates every seventy-two (72) hours (or sooner if warranted) to you, the membership to keep you up to date. Check out our Facebook Page, the TUC website, and our Newsletter.

Again, as a reminder, please take a moment to read through these everyday actions that will help you, friends and family remain healthy:

  • We encourage all members to wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer. 
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are ill.
  • If you are feeling unwell, stay home.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue (immediately throw the tissue in the garbage and wash your hands).
  • If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or arm.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.

We have also provided some links below to resources from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Public Health Ontario (PHO) and Toronto Public Health (TPH) with the latest information about coronaviruses:

Thank you.

Jo Malisani
Executive Director

 

Covid-19 Update #2

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:  COVID-19 Preventative Measures Update#2

ALL TUC PROGRAMMING CANCELLED UNTIL 29 MARCH 2020

 

Hello,

As we continue to monitor the developments surrounding COVID-19, in Toronto, Ontario and across Canada, TUC continues to focus on providing you our membership with information to protect themselves against the flu, and COVID-19.

Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized COVID-19 as a Pandemic, and today, Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the Minister of Health have made recommendations that business and organizations do their part by implementing social distancing measures to help mitigate and slow the spread of this virulent disease.

While TPH and Public Health Ontario (PHO) both report that there is no Community Spread of the virus in Toronto, TUC is taking a proactive and preventative approach to keeping our members safe and will be implementing social distancing measures. 

Effective tonight all programming (adult leagues, clinics, and juniors programming) will be canceled for the next two weeks.

We will issue updates every seventy-two (72) hours (or sooner if warranted) to the membership to keep you up to date. We will be issuing those updates via our Facebook Page, the home page or our website, and via the TUC Newsletter.

As a reminder, please take a moment and read through these everyday actions that will help you and our fellow members remain healthy:

  • We encourage all members to wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer. 
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are ill.
  • If you are feeling unwell, stay home
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue (immediately throw the tissue in the garbage and wash your hands)
  • If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or arm
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.

We have also provided some links below to resources from WHO, the Public Health Ontario and Toronto Public Health with the latest information about coronaviruses:

 

Thank you.

 

Jo Malisani
Executive Director
 

Covid-19 Update #1


Dear Members,

As we are well into flu season, and with the developments surrounding coronavirus, TUC is focusing on providing our members with information to protect themselves against the flu, and coronavirus.  TUC leadership has and will continue to keep up to date with the latest developments and review guidelines/advice set out by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health-Ontario (MHO), Toronto Public Health (TPH) and Ultimate Canada, and we will continue to provide updates as necessary.

Please take a moment and read through these everyday actions that will help you and your fellow members remain healthy:

  • We encourage all members to continue to wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water, or with an alcohol-based sanitizer.
  • If you are feeling unwell, we ask that you do not attend your game(s), practice(s), clinic(s), or event(s) until your symptoms clear up.

In addition to the everyday actions we can all take, in alignment with Ultimate Canada, we are recommending the following precautions when you are at a TUC event, game, or clinic:

High-Fives and Spirit Circles:  The flu and coronavirus are commonly spread through close, personal contact, please refrain from high-fiving teammates and avoid contact during spirit circles.
Disc Sanitization:  We ask that everyone take a few minutes before coming to an event, game, clinic or practice and disinfect all your discs.  Wash them again at the end of each day.
Hand Washing:  Please wash your hands before and after every game.

We have provided some links below to resources from WHO (their advice to the public, including myth busters), MHO and TPH for more information about coronavirus:

If you have any questions about TUC's preparedness, please feel free to contact us.

Kind Regards,

Jo Malisani
Executive Director