Saskatchewan Amateur Volleyball Association

May 8 2023

Oct 4th Board Meeting Summary

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Hi all,

The SAVA board met again last night to discuss the latest health guidelines released last week and to make some decisions about how the league will operate this year.

In Summary:
- We are aiming to kickoff the season on October 31st, with the majority of play taking place in Martensville
- All players, subs, and officials must be double vaccinated in order to participate in the league
- SAVA will be reaching out to team captains / AGM participants to begin registering teams next week
- We are looking to fill 2 paid positions: a Match Scheduler and a Ref Assignor, please get in touch if you are interested

SAVA is one of largest adult rec volleyball leagues in Saskatchewan and we feel it is our responsibility to help lead by example when it comes to public safety. Some members of SAVA expressed concern with running the league at all this season, and with good reason. Adult recreational sports aren't exactly our society's top priority at the moment. Why would we risk bringing a bunch of people together every week when our healthcare system is already stressed enough as it is? With these concerns in mind, and with a strong desire to have this season run smoothly to spring, the board has decided to put a proof of vaccination policy in place for all players and officials this season. We hope that this policy will make everyone feel safe in playing this season. Our intention isn't to exclude anyone, but anything less strict would impose too much operational overhead to run this league effectively. Putting this policy in place today also greatly reduces the risk of having the league shut down later on when the health guidelines inevitably change again. Based on the new masking health guidelines (Section 4.c.ix), we hope this means that players and officials will not have to wear masks during games, but we still need to confirm this with the MAP as it is a shared facility.

We realize that the vaccination policy is something that captains will need consider and discuss with their players. The target start date of October 31st is a little over 4 weeks away, so that should be enough time for all of us to get ready for the season. We will begin reaching out to teams that have spots reserved from previous seasons and who attended the AGM to register early, new teams will be able to register later next week. If a team chooses not play this season, they will not be eligible for early registration next season. The board will meet again in 2 weeks, and we hope to have all of the teams registered by that time. Then we will move ahead with deciding on the exact league structure and schedule. Stay tuned for a registration specific announcement early next week.

Scheduling matches for SAVA also presents some unique challenges, which is why we are looking to hire someone to be our Match Scheduler. TeamLinkt can do most of the work, but extra effort is required to ensure that women playing in both leagues aren't double booked, or have to drive between cities in 0 minutes, and that the same teams don't always end up with the early or late games. The same can be said about finding sanctioned officials to ref our matches each week. We feel that having sanctioned officials is one of the key factors that sets this league apart from the rest of the adult leagues in the area. Which is why we are also looking to hire someone to be our Ref Assignor. If you are interested in either position, please get in contact with the SAVA board.

Ultimately we are all here for the same reason: a shared passion for volleyball. A sport that puts collaboration above all else. I know we're all sick of hearing about the "unprecedented" times we live in, but I'm confident we can come together as a community to have this season run efficiently and safely through to the spring. I look forward to seeing everyone have fun back on the courts on Halloween(costumes not required). Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.

Cheers,

Jesse Rolheiser

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