From 8 to 4 to 0: MCAC Forced To Cancel 2020 Soccer Season
The announcement coming from Manitoba Public Health on Friday afternoon, that the Winnipeg region would be placed in "Code Orange" effective Monday, September 28 for a minimum of four weeks, all but spelled the end of the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference's plan for a reduced, 4-game soccer season.
Yesterday, the MCAC's directors voted unanimously to announce the cancellation of the seasons. Winnipeg was placed in "Code Orange" by the province in hopes of reducing the spread of the coronavirus after positive test results have regularly exceeded 40 new cases daily since mid-September. "Code Orange" requires people living in the region to wear masks in all public spaces and limits public gatherings to a maximum of 10 people.
Added to this, the governing body for the sanctioning of organized soccer in Manitoba, stayed true to their approved Return to Play commitment and stepped back to Phase 2 on Monday. In Phase 2, soccer teams are limited to training in small groups with a maximum of 5 versus 5 training in mini-games with very limited moments of close contact as part of training exercises.
"I'm sure that the news is a difficult one to swallow for our players and coaches as we have been riding this wave of ups and downs for the past 6 to 8 weeks," said CMU Director of Athletics, Russell Willms. "Two weeks ago, things looked very likely that we would be able to have a competitive season, perhaps even a full season, but those hopes were dashed on Friday and we have all realized that there was little more we could do."
While the Winnipeg-region only directly affects CMU and the University of St-Boniface, Assiniboine Community College, Brandon University and Providence University College remain in "Code Yellow" and are not restricted from full training or normal 11 a-side competitions as part of the Manitoba Soccer Association's approved Phase 3 of their approved Return to Play plan.
CMU teams will continue to train for the remaining weeks of what would have been the Fall MCAC season as coaches turn a wider focus to technical, skill and tactical development.
On top of training, CMU teams will also be participating in various community connections this semester, lending a hand to local organizations. This week the CMU Women's Soccer team along with CMU Women's Volleyball and Women's Basketball, will be collecting donations of toiletries and feminine hygiene products from the CMU community for the North End Women's Centre. The North End Women's Centre is a safe place for women in crisis and the organization relies heavily on donations of items such as shampoo, deodorant, underwear liners, soap and toothpaste. If you would like to contribute a donation to this project, drop-offs can be made from 10am to 2pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, at the Blazer table located in Marpeck Commons outside CommonWord.
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