Summit
Ontario Football Alliance Summit
September 25-27, 2009
Brampton, Ontario
The Football Summit was an excellent example of individuals from different leagues, geographies, etc. coming together in an attempt to structure football in Ontario and grow the sport. The removal of impediments to growing football in Ontario was a by product of some great discussion and collaboration. We had representation by the major Leagues in Ontario, OFA, OFOA, CIS/OUA, Ministry of Ontario, Football Canada and the CFL.
Governance:
Discussion covered OFA governance with an agreement that 3 geographies will be established; East, Central, and West, with the potential of a Northern region. OFA will have a representative for these areas to be nominated by the Leagues in these areas. These positions will be at a Director level and would work with the OFA Exec Board (President, VP Finance, VP Admin, VP Recreation, VP Competitive, VP Elite Competitive).
Provincial Structure:
Recognizes that we have two seasons of play in Ontario; summer football and fall football. There is a logical grouping of play around;
- Recreational (house leagues)
- Competition (regional leagues such as NCAFA, COMFL, SCOFL, SOAFL, OMFL etc.)
- Elite Competition (leagues such as OVFL and OFC - Junior); OUA/CIS as well as programs such as Provincial, National and International team play.
We considered a province-wide playoff structure, however at this time it is not feasible. A true fall provincial champion is difficult to implement due to number of leagues and lateness of season therefore a bowl format is being considered within each region.
Play Structure:
Age Alignment: U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, U17, U19, U23 *Example, players in the U17 age group are 15 and 16 years of age.
Age calcuation: Based on calendar year, age as of December 31st. Essentially Year of Birth is now used to determine level of play.
Weight Limits: None
In fairness to all, the above changes must be discussed at an individual League level and adoption for some may require a transition period. However, over time, we will see a positive linkage from early development to highly competitive play status which, we hope, will result in a significant increase in the number of players AND improved level of play.
OFA felt that the summit was a successful event with positive outcomes for football in Ontario. Although this is only a starting point and there are many more discussions that need to take place in order to establish a clear action plan, OFA is encouraged that all leagues and football partnerships will come together to help improve the state of football and the quality of athletes throughout our province.
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