July 29 - Member Update

 

August, 20-22 will feature a number of different events including PSL Semi-Finals, PSL Finals, 7v7 Adult World Cup, 3v3 Grassroots World Cup, Walking Soccer Festival, Grassroots and Youth Soccer Tennis Event and a Skills Competition. The Saturday events will be filled with tons of fun and awesome prizes. There are limited number of spaces, so please make sure to register as soon as possible!

 

Location: Saskatoon Sports Centre - Saskatoon

Friday - August 20, 2021: PSL Semi-Finals

 

Saturday - August 21, 2021:

Sunday - August 22, 2021: PSL Finals

 

SDIS Registration Instructions

Link: http://saskatchewansoccerassociation.rampregistrations.com/

Registration Deadline: Thursday August 12

 

Watch for social media promotions kicking off next week for all the events, please help amplify through your organizations social media channels.

 

2021 Olympics have seen a great start for SK Referee Chantal Boudreau. Chantal was appointed as an Assistant Referee in the China - Zambia July 24^th game. Her second appointment was July 27 in the New Zealand - Sweden game. Both matches have resulted in very good performances, making us proud once again. We look forward to Chantal’s future appointments!

The Canadian Premier League “Kick off” has wrapped up in Winnipeg, with SK Assistant Referee Daniel Boudreau being present for the full duration of the 35-day bubble. During this time, Daniel received 8 appointments which include the season opener FC Edmonton - Atletico Ottawa as well as a double appointment of Forge FC vs Cavalry FC (with the latter being a developing rivalry as the 2019 CPL Final). Daniel has returned home for a brief rest period with more appointments coming up in the packed Canadian Premier League schedule. For referee appointments, please go here. For more information on the Canadian Premier League, please visit www.canpl.ca . We are proud of Daniel’s achievements!

 

SSA is committed to providing a safe, positive, and respectful game-time environment for all participants. We would like to remind members that Match Officials and Organizers are an integral part of the game and need to be treated with respect. Abusive behavior will not be tolerated, strict sanctions will be applied to individuals who commit abuse of match officials or organizers. We ask that our member organizations reinforce this message with your participants to ensure the game time environment can remain positive for all.

Below are details and links to the different types of infractions which constitute abuse of match official, along with the jurisdiction related to each infraction, as well as details on how to utilize the SSA Formal Complaint form when filing a complaint.

Located in SSA Section 5 Discipline Policy, article 5.3 are the minimum sanctions for Misconduct against Match Officials or Organizers. Please note that the infractions listed in Articles 5.3.1 to 5.3.4 fall under the jurisdiction of the local member organization. Infractions listed under Article 5.3.5 fall under SSA jurisdiction.

Assault is defined as “attempted deliberate physical contact or deliberate physical contact, or attempted violent conduct or violent conduct (e.g. striking, kicking, spitting, etc.) and/or verbal or physical threats toward a match official or organizer” and results in an immediate suspension from all soccer activity, province wide, pending a hearing.

 

Please note the Section 4 Formal Complaints Policy, under Article 1.7 notes that a complaint of Assault of a Match Official requires the complainant to provide notice of the incident, along with a preliminary report of the assault within 48 hours of the alleged incident to the local member organization. The member organization is required to promptly contact SSA to provide the initial report and support the formal complaint process thereafter, as required.

The SSA Formal Complaint Form can be located here. Please note this form is required to file a complaint. Each section of the Complaint Form must be filled out and the local member organization can assist the complainant by including the contact information for the individual named in the complaint under section 2. Section 3 requires a description of the infraction, which must include a citation of the policy that was breached. In the case of an Assault of an Official this would be Section 5, Article 5.3.5.

 Many groups have local incident reports that are submitted for infractions; while they may be included for reference purposes, the SSA must receive a completed Complaint Form to proceed.

For the game to thrive it must be safe for referees, organizers and all participants.

Since games have restarted, we have had 2 incidents of Abuse of a Referee, 1 Assault of Referee and 1 incident of Assault of an Organizer.

We ask all SSA Member to join together to put an end to abuse of Referees and Organizers. Member Organizations, coaches, athletes and fans can support a culture of zero tolerance. Consider your own actions - are you yelling at referees during games, confronting them after games - or are you leading for change and supporting a respectful environment for all?

Be the solution! Let’s all put an end to referee and organizer abuse!

 

If you have any questions or would like additional information regarding the SSA Formal Complaints Policy, please contact Steven at 306-519-5757 or ea@sasksoccer.com. If you would like more information on how to support safe and respectful environments for all, contact Octavian Iliuta ccd@sasksoccer.com.

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Recordings of past webinars and COVID 19 member calls can be found on our YouTube Channel.