Ontario Soccer Conference propels the game forward

Administrators, referees and coaches from around the province descended upon Toronto this weekend for the Ontario Soccer Association’s 2014 Soccer Conference and Annual General Meeting. The soccer community participated in workshops, attended the Centre Circle Awards Banquet, and elected new leaders at the AGM. Canadian Soccer Association Board Member Dr. Nick Bontis provided the keynote address at the Plenary Session. Bontis spoke about organizational change and the new Strategic Plan for Canadian Soccer Association. Bobby Lennox, the OSA Grassroots Manager, then spoke at length on the results of the Grassroots Player Survey of U-8 to U-12 year-olds. The survey was conducted at 34 clubs in 15 districts and had 1027 kids tell the OSA why they play soccer and how they would improve the game. Dino Rossi, Chairman of the Sports Organizing Committee for Pan/Para Am Games, spoke about their volunteer drive and the soccer competitions that will be featured at the 2015 event in Toronto and surrounding areas. Lisette Johnson Stapley, Venue General Manager - Toronto, shared with attendees the plans for this summer's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. There were several workshops presented at this year’s conference including: Sharing Best Practices, Soccer For Life, the Ontario Not For Profit Corporations Act, Futsal, Respect in Soccer for Parents and FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention. Following Saturday’s Plenary Sessions and Workshops, the Annual General Meeting took place on Sunday morning. The Member organizations received reports for the past year’s activities and elected the President, Treasurer and voted on two Director-At-Large positions. Click here to see the results of the elections. Click here to see the workshop presentations from the weekend Click here to see photos from the weekend Book your Ontario Cup hotel today The Ontario Soccer Association is pleased to announce our new partnership with InterContinental/Hotels Group (IHG) and HTG Sports as our combined exclusive travel partner for the 2014 Ontario Cup. The success of our event relies on the combination of dedicated volunteers and established partnerships with our sponsors. Those teams requiring hotel accommodations are asked to book only through our online hotel program. IHG and HTG Sports have secured blocks at all participating host hotels so be sure to contact them early to book your team. Click here to access the OSA price at these hotels.

Ontario's Henry Nelson honoured once again Henry Nelson, centre, receiving his Syl Apps Award from the Sport Alliance Ontario for his many years of giving back to the beautiful game. The awards just keep coming for long time Ontario soccer volunteer Henry Nelson. Nelson, who was recently honoured at the Sport Alliance Ontario Awards Banquet, with the Syl Apps Award for Volunteering, was honoured this weekend at the OSA's Centre Circle Awards. Nelson received the a Meritorious Award in the Club category for his role in helping to found and run Ajax United Soccer Club. Click here to read more about Nelson’s win as well as the other Centre Circle Award winners and President's Award winner. Sigma FC product turning heads in NCAA Click the link at the bottom of the article to watch the goal. Akron midfielder Richmond Laryea scored a cracker in NCAA Division I action this week. Laryea, a Sigma FC product and someone you can watch in League1 Ontario this summer, is turning heads as a spring enrollee at Akron – a perennial NCAA favourite. Look for more information on Laryea and others when League1 Ontario’s official website launches in mid-May. Click here to watch the goal. Masters/Classics Provincial Championships deadline tomorrow It's time to dust off those cleats and register for the 2014 Masters/Classics Provincial Championships. The entry deadline is tomorrow, Thursday, May 1, so be sure to get your entry form in today. This season marks the ninth year of the competition, where teams Over-35 will compete for the Provincial Championships and for a spot at the Regional Club Championships. Click here to register and for more information on the Championships. OPDL launches this weekend The inaugural OPDL season is upon us. Kicking off in two centralized venues, some of the best U-13 boys and girls players in the province will be competing in Kingston (Queens University) and London (Western University) this Saturday. The OPDL is Ontario's first standards-based high performance league in Ontario and one of the first of its kind in Canada. It combines top level competition with strict high performance training standards as part of an overall movement to adopt the core principles of Long Term Player Development. Click here to read more about the OPDL. Click here to see the OPDL schedule. SAAC adds two new groups to their fold The Soccer Academy Alliance of Canada (SAAC) announced two new groups are joining their competitive program in 2014. Futskills International returns to the fold as a School of Excellence following a one year absence, while newly formed Mapola FC will participate as a trial organization. Both organizations successfully completed assessments by the OSA and are now officially recognized Academies. Click here to read more about the announcement. Click here to learn more about SAAC. Pan AM / Para Pan Am volunteers have OSAP benefits Know a student looking for help with their OSAP loan? They can now help with their debts by become a volunteer at the TO2015 Pan Am / Para Pan Am Games. Two benefits now being made available by the Ontario government are: A waiver that exempts you for the pre-study period contribution (a contirubtion from the money you earn up to 16 weeks prior to the start of your studies) A longer grace period before you need ot repay your OSAP loan or interest chaged on that loan if you complete you studies on or after March 1, 2015 To make an event like this happen, the Pan Am / Para Pan Am Games are looking for 20,000 volunteers to get involved. Their volunteer registration opened recently. Click here if you'd like to become a volunteer. Click here to learn more about the OSAP benefits. Update your coaching certification There have been several changes and additions to Ontario Coaching recently. Here's what you need to know: As of January 2014, The Ontario Soccer Association, in conjunction with the CSA, has introduced a 5-year expiry date for both the Provincial B Licence and the Pre B Assessment course. Coaches who obtained their Provincial B Licence (either through course or by equivalency) prior to Jan 1st, 2009 will update with a Provincial B re-certification course. (Unless they have obtained higher OSA recognized certification since that date). Coaches will have until July 2015 to attend a Provincial B refresher course. Coaches who obtained a Pre B Assessment pass before January 1st 2009 are now encouraged to retake their B Course in full. (Unless they have obtained higher OSA recognised certification since that date). All Pre B’s that have expired will have to be re-taken by July 2015. Click here for more information The B Licence courses are filling up. Waterloo is sold out and limited spots are available for both Kingston and Welland ON. Click here if you are interested in taking a B Licence course. The OSA has provided an abundance of Pre B Courses offered across the province from May until October. Please register now to ensure you receive a spot on the course as they are filling up quickly. Click here to register.