June 15, 2021...League1 Ontario sets new 2021 start date for July 29th (from League1 Ontario website)

  
League1 Ontario sets new 2021 start date for July 29th
By League1 Ontario, 06/15/21, 11:00AM EDT

Today, League1 Ontario announced that they have optimistically targeted July 29, 2021, 
as the new start date for a 2021 campaign for both Women and Men, which will run into early November.  

On May 7, 2021, League1 Ontario announced the intention to kick off the 2021 season on July 2, 
if the Provincial Government’s COVID-19 re-opening plans would allow full team training 
to commence by June 7.    

As of June 11, the province’s announced Roadmap to Reopen, Step 1 Return to Play regulations limit 
teams to socially distanced training sessions with a maximum of 10 players per quadrant on a pitch.  
Open Trials are not permitted in Step 1 of Return to Play and as a result the July 2 kickoff 
will not be possible.

The League1 Ontario Board of Directors are optimistic that a return to competition is possible 
for this summer and fall, especially considering the progress the Province of Ontario is making 
battling COVID-19 and getting the residents of Ontario fully vaccinated.

“Although it is disappointing that a July 2 kickoff is no longer possible, we are feeling very 
confident and optimistic that a July 29 start date is feasible, with the provision that we can 
enter Step 2 of the Provincial Government’s plan within 21 days of the launch of Step 1 and that 
the next step of reopening indeed allows for a return to full team training and competition,” 
League1 Ontario Managing Director, Matthew Braithwaite said.

L1O officials have presented license holders with additional scenarios for kicking off in August 
if there are delays in transitioning to Step 2 of the Return to Play strategy. 

More details about the competition format for the 2021 season will be shared as we await further 
Step 2 and 3 details from the Government of Ontario through Ontario Soccer’s Return to Play plan.

About League1 Ontario

League1 Ontario is the province of Ontario’s pro-am, standards-based, senior league. 
Founded in 2014, the league began with a ten team men’s division, which has now grown to 21 teams 
in the men’s division and includes a separate 14 team women’s division.

League1 Ontario serves as a steppingstone between the high-performance youth level and elite 
amateur and professional levels of the game.

Owned and managed by Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) and sanctioned by FIFA through the domestic 
bodies of Canada Soccer and Ontario Soccer, League1 Ontario’s primary focus is the showcase 
and development of Canada’s future stars.

back to 2021 League 1 Ontario Men's index

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