Organized Sport Sector now able to return to Tournament and Event delivery

Following this week’s very welcome Provincial Health Office (PHO) announcement allowing for the BC Organized Sport Sector to return to Tournament and Event delivery, Field Hockey BC (FHBC) is pleased to announce that planning for tournament and event delivery through the Society will continue in earnest ahead of the 2022 Spring and Summer season. The following Tournament and Event list represents the Society’s ongoing planning and preparation commitment:

2022 Tournament and Event Calendar Schedule (March-August 2022)

  • Regional Female U18/U16 Talent Identification Camp (Vancouver Island) – March 1 – March 15 (select weeknights)
  • Regional Female U18 Talent Identification Camp (Mainland) – March 18-20
  • Regional Female U16 Talent Identification Camp (Mainland) – March 25-27
  • Regional Female U18/U16 Talent Identification Camp (Interior) – April 13 & 27
  • Provincial Female U18 Talent Identification and Selection Camp (Centralized – Mainland) – April 15-17
  • Provincial Male U18 Talent Identification and Selection Camp (Centralized – Mainland) – April 15-17
  • Provincial Female U16 Talent Identification and Selection Camp (Centralized – Mainland) – May 21-23
  • Provincial Male U16 Talent Identification and Selection Camp (Centralized – Mainland) – May 21-23
  • Vancouver International Tournament (VIT) – May 21-23
  • U18 Female BC Club Championship (Tier 1 – Surrey) – May 27-29
  • U18 Female BC Club Championship (Tier 2 – Surrey) – May 27-29
  • U18 Male BC Club Championship (West Vancouver) – June 3-5
  • U12 Female and Male BC Club Festival (Burnaby) – June 4-5
  • U16 Male BC Club Championship (West Vancouver) – June 11-12
  • U14 Female BC Club Championship (Tier 1 – Victoria) – June 10-12
  • U14 Female BC Club Championship (Tier 2 – Victoria) – June 10-12
  • U14 Male BC Club Championship (West Vancouver) – June 18-19
  • U16 Female BC Club Championship (Tier 1 – UBC) – June 17-19
  • U16 Female BC Club Championship (Tier 2 – UBC) – June 17-19
  • U18 Female National Championship (Surrey) – July 29-August 3
  • U18 Male National Championship (Surrey) – July 29-August 3
  • U16 Female National Championship (Surrey) – August 9-14
  • U16 Male National Championship (Surrey) – August 9-14

FHBC in partnership with both the BC Club Community and Field Hockey Canada very much look forward to a return to what we hope will be a full Spring and Summer Tournament and Event schedule. Information relative to the events listed above will continue to be posted on the FHBC website and disseminated to members and club contacts alike. Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to any member of the FHBC Staff team who will be happy to assist.

Yours in sport,

Mark Saunders
Executive Director
Field Hockey BC
February 17, 2022


Return to Sport Restart 2.0 – by viaSport

Access the chart here.

NOTE: Previous Return to Sport Plans had sport groupings (i.e. Group A, B, C, and D sports) as well as a cohort model. These concepts no longer apply to the Return to Sport Restart 2.0. The focus for Restart 2.0 is indoor and outdoor. Sports must follow the restrictions based on if the sport is taking place indoor or outdoor (e.g. if a typical indoor sport shifts to an outdoor setting, the sport follows outdoor rules).

DISCLAIMER – VIASPORT BC RETURN TO SPORT GUIDANCE: viaSport’s role in the Return to Sport process is to communicate timely updates and information to help the sport community plan its return. This information from viaSport is not intended for legal purposes and all sport organizations and participants are reminded to follow all current health orders and recommendations set out by the Office of the Provincial Health Officer. For the full disclaimer, please click here.

RELEVANT LINKS
viaSport Frequently Asked Questions
Gathering and Events Order
Travel Restrictions in BC
WorkSafeBC
B.C. Centre for Disease Control
Mask Mandate Order
COVID-19 (Limits on Actions and Proceedings) Regulation
Workplace Safety (December 16, 2020)
Government of BC COVID-19 Restrictions Information


Documents & Older Communiques

Communiques
Documents
Return to Play Frameworks & Attestation Form

Responsible Return to Play FAQ

Can a member request a refund of the FHBC Membership Fee?

Membership registration fees will be refunded to all those registered members that do not get, or choose not to have, any opportunity to be active in field hockey programming or events in the current season.

Refunds must be requested by the member to FHBC. Any and all members not requesting an individual FHBC membership registration refund, will have their membership remain active until the end of the membership year (August 31, 2021). Should such registered members not have an opportunity to play field hockey in any capacity in the current season, then the option remains to request a refund or a credit to the following season.

Once a Field Hockey BC member has actively participated in the current membership year, regardless of the extent of such participation, membership fees are regrettably not eligible for reimbursement nor eligible for proration. This applies to both Field Hockey BC and Field Hockey Canada fees that form the full field hockey membership registration fee. Such a policy has recently been reviewed by the FHBC Board of Directors and applied to COVID conditions with the decision that membership fees would only be reimbursed to those members who have not actively participated.

For Club Fees’ refunds, please contact your club directly.

Can coaches and officials participate in more than one cohort?

The LSO’s safety plans – based on the  PSO’s (Provincials Sport Organization) framework and viaSport guidelines – will guide what an official can or cannot do. The FHBC framework and viaSport guideline continue to allow flexibility of movement for coaches or officials who are taking theses roles exclusively and that are able to maintain physical distancing protocols at all times. In this case, the PSO framework whilst recommending that officials be restricted to a single cohort, does allow movement to a second cohort as long as the official is able to maintain physical distancing protocols at all times. If an official cannot maintain physical distancing at all times then they are required to restrict participation to a single cohort.

Whose responsibility is it to provide sanitizing stations to the participants?

This would be a decision for the facility operator in the first instance and thereafter the LSO (Local Sport Organization).

Whose responsibility is it to put up signage related to COVID-19 measurements at the facility?

Signage for activities are responsibility of the LSOs running the activity.

Should volunteer Safety Officers have a FHBC Membership?

Yes. The FHBC Membership provides insurance coverage for every registered member involved in the activity, including full liability coverage to COVID-19 relate cases. Therefore, Safety Officers should register under the “Officials” membership type.

Is the Attestation Form completion and collection mandatory?

Yes. Attestation form completion by each participant ahead of every training session is mandatory. Attestation Forms are required to comply with health screening prior to activity, in the ability to track activity participants, and should an outbreak be applicable, to identify the contact group and monitor the isolation period required. It is understandable that this is a logistical challenge, however, it is in place to protect everyone associated with the activity.

Can an activity extrapolate field ratios and cohort limits by just 1 or 2 people?

No. Field ratios and cohort limits were developed to allow for the confident application of physical distancing rules and follow the PHO recommendations.  The zonal configuration and assessment of participant ratios was also made in consultation with technical and management staff at the club level in BC.

Does FHBC needs to approve the club’s safety plan?

No. FHBC does not need to approve the LSO plan; the LSO is required to formally approve it.

Can players share or be loaned equipment for sessions, if they don’t have them?

No. As much as we recognize the additional cost of such equipment to players, safety must come before convenience for a responsible return to play. The protocol should be for no sharing of equipment. For players who may have limited financial resources, KidSport and JumpStart financial assistance programs that could help in securing an individuals equipment by offsetting their player registration costs.

What should be done if a participant develops COVID-19 symptoms during a session?

This speaks to the framework requirement for an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) to be in place for the facility and session (illness policy and exit protocol from the facility). Any participant exhibiting signs of illness should follow a facility exit protocol as soon as signs of illness are identified and then follow a minimum of a ten-day period prior to return to activity. It further recommends that the participant obtain a referral to a health care provider should the following symptoms be evident:

– COVID-19-like symptoms
– Common cold symptoms
– Influenza (flu) symptoms
– Symptoms of any other infectious respiratory disease

Should such symptoms lead to a COVID positive test, then provincial and/or municipal health authority direction takes precedence for return to activity.