Updates from BMLA President David Hunter.
Hello All, it has been too long since our last message, for that I sincerely apologize.
We want to reach out to the membership to give an update on the state of lacrosse here in Burlington and Ontario as it stands with the COVID-19 outbreak. I am more than sure everyone is tired of those five letters (COVID) and everyone’s “fluid” situations; we are too. So, here is what we know:
- The OMFLL has cancelled the 2020 spring field season. OMFLL is planning to run the season in the fall, if possible. No calls on the other divisions has been made at this point.
- The OLA, our governing body for rep box, has yet to make a clear ruling on the season beyond the 2 postponements we have experienced already. We are waiting for their call which should be coming in the next couple weeks.
- The City of Burlington has all facilities closed until the end of June. Reopening those facilities will not happen overnight, so we have to plan for mid July (estimated)
- Zone 8, to the west of us, has declared their 2020 season cancelled, without the direction or consent of the OLA
- In Zone 9, our zone, Pelham and Six Nations have declared the 2020 season cancelled. We do not imagine with anything short of a cure/vaccine in place that this will change.
- Multiple centers have declared their house leagues cancelled for 2020.
BMLA is currently awaiting the decisions of the OLA. The safety of our Burlington family is the primary concern of this Board. If the call is to open the season, we will need to figure out what that season will look like, which we will need to figure out with both the city and the other organizations in Zone 9. Most importantly, we will need to figure out how to keep our players, parents and families safe.
We have been meeting weekly to discuss options and events. We are developing alternatives for all eventualities and will communicate them when the time is proper to do so.
Please keep care of each other, it is getting difficult the longer this keeps going but I would hope that we can (figuratively) lean on each other to get through this.
Go Chiefs.
Sincerely,
David Hunter
President, Burlington Minor Lacrosse
www.burlingtonlacrosse.com