BOSL NEWS – President's Message 2020
Greetings Fellow BOSL Members,
I hope this message finds everyone healthy and well. Your Board of Directors met last evening to discuss the future of the 2020 season. Although we have been trying to salvage some play this year, it appears that we have passed the point of no return. The Ministry of Sport & Culture has not approved team play in the recent update of Stage 2. As of today, practising and training in groups 10 or less is the only sport activity allowed and only if proper social distancing is followed. At this point, we are waiting for the announcement of Stage 3 but there is no guarantee that team play will be part of this stage. The City has already advised that once we can return to team play, we will need to submit a strategic protocol to ensure social distancing and adhere to Health Canada recommendations on hygiene. This approval process plus field preparation will take at least a couple of weeks. If a Stage 3 implementation is 2 to 4 weeks away and with 2 weeks for plan approval, we are looking at late July.
For these reasons, the Board of Directors has decided to cancel the 2020 season. It is not really a cancellation but a postponement to 2021. Our plan will be as follows:
For payments, all players will be offered 2 options:
Request a full refund from treasurer@bosl.ca
Defer your 2020 payment to your 2021 membership
We would ask that every play respond to the Treasurer e-mail above with your choice. If the Treasurer does not get a response from an individual, we will assume they want to defer their payment to 2021.
The plan for the 2021 Season will be:
There will be no draft for 2021, all drafted 2020 team rosters will be rolled over
Shirts have already been ordered so we will reuse them for 2021
Team Captains and Sponsors will remain the same unless there is a withdraw
If a player, Captain or Sponsor from this year has to withdraw, the Membership Committee and BOD will utilize the waitlist to find suitable replacements
So that is the bad news. The good news is that we are still going to try to get on the field. I am going to keep working with the City and Slo-Pitch Ontario to get our protocol approved ahead of the Stage 3 announcement. If we are allowed to return to play, we are going to run an extended “Fall Ball” season. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to put up a registration form on the web site to allow players to start to sign up. Once we get approval and a start date, we will set up teams. If we get enough players we may conduct an on line draft. Also, once we get approval we will determine cost. Cost will be based solely on the diamond time we get from the City and our insurance costs. For those who have not played Fall Ball in the past, it is very laid back. No umpires, no stats and wear whatever you want.
FALL BALL Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much will Fall Ball cost?
At this point, we cannot determine a price without knowing how many games we will play.
Should I sign up before I pay?
Sign up immediately and pay later, when fees are determined.
Can players that are not currently on a roster register for Fall Ball?
Yes, but we will be running restricted rosters, max 12 players per team. Players that are currently on a 2020 team will get precedence.
Can I use some of my 2020 registration fee for Fall Ball?
No, a new payment will have to be submitted to play Fall Ball.
How can I pay for Fall Ball?
We will ONLY be accepting electronic payments for Fall Ball. This means Pay Pal or e-transfer.
What will be the cut off for signing up?
We would encourage you to sign up immediately. Once we get the okay to play, we will not have much time to arrange rosters, one week. If we get approval to return August 1st, cut off will be July 24th.
If 12 players from my 2020 team sign up for Fall Ball, can we play together?
The Board will try their best keep teams together.
Keep Safe!
Scott Sinclair
BOSL President
Welcome to the 2020 Season!
Greetings Fellow BOSL Members,
We are only 4 months away from the 2020 BOSL season which starts with the annual draft on March 7, 2020. As most of you should be aware, we held our Annual General Meeting on October 24th where we closed off the 2019 season and brought in the 2020 season with the vote for the new Board of Directors. Other than myself, the 2020 Board of Directors include:
- Carl Camilleri – Vice President
- Steve Bourke – IT Director and Sponsorship
- Darren Anderson – Tournament Director
- Dale Latendresse – Treasurer
- Kevin Roseneck – Umpire Chief and Equipment
- Brian Bishop – Membership Director
- Jarrod Schankula – Secretary
- Jim Seely – Social Director
A special thanks to those Board Members who finished out their terms:
Ron Evinou, John Andersen, Scot Cameron, Steve Rowsell and Peter Conick
All 5 of them served the Board well and volunteered hundreds of hours of their personal time to make our league what it is. Special mention to Scot Cameron and John Andersen who served multiple terms on the Board and have decided to withdraw from playing. Hopefully, just for a year or two.
The Board of Directors have already started planning the events for 2020 including the Tournaments, the Golf Tournament and the Awards Banquet. Please check the “Events” section of the web site for the key dates for 2020.
The year 2020 will mark the 40th season for the BOSL so we plan to try and make this a special year for the league. Our uniforms will include an additional logo and we are looking at some other special activities.
It feels like we just finished the Year End tournament but I’m looking forward to the 2020 season already!!
Thanks for all of your support and best wishes for the Holidays
We are excited to announce our continued support of the Burlington Food Bank ! Myself and members of the Board had the opportunity to tour their facility and see exactly where donations go. Their organization is 100% funded by support of charitable donations.
Through our visit we were made aware that this food bank is responsible for feeding over 300 families in the Burlington area in addition to supplying food to local parishes and many other support groups within the City of Burlington. Giving back to the Community is what differentiates the BOSL from any other league. We look forward to your continued support through our various fundraising efforts during the course of the season.
In closing, I would like to thank the continued efforts of our Board of Directors, the support of our Sponsors, and all of our volunteers that make the overall BOSL experience a great one!
Scott Sinclair
BOSL President |
