Buccaneers!

Your rugby club is proud to announce we’ve applied for sanctioning from Rugby Ontario and will be RETURNING TO PLAY this season.

The province of Ontario has done well in dealing with the Covid-19 virus, but it is still a very serious threat to everyone’s health.  Because of the high risk of transmission of the covid virus, all rugby clubs returning to play this season will be following strict rules on physical distancing and limitations on what clubs can do during training when we get back on the pitch.  Anyone predisposed to be severely affected if they contract the virus, or consider themselves in a ‘high-risk’ group, is strongly encouraged to decline returning to rugby this season.

We will be getting back on the pitch at Sunnybrook starting TUESDAY AUGUST 4th, 2020 at 6:45 pm.  Training will take place every TUESDAY and THURSDAY until THURSDAY OCTOBER 1st, 2020.

The club is also very happy to be welcoming the ladies of the YeoLions RFC who will be registering with the Buccaneers RFC and training side by side this season with our senior men’s players.  The Buccaneers are pleased to announce a brand new senior women’s player’s category for registration.

Dues will be $100 for senior mens, $80 for senior womens.  You MUST BE REGISTERED to participate in training.  Also, before EVERY TRAINING SESSION every player must fill out an online personal attestation that they are not sick, nor do they pose any risk of exposing the club to the covid virus.

ONLINE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE OPEN BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK – stay tuned for details!

Myself, Simon Cooper and Dean Spencer have volunteered to be the club’s Covid Safety Officers, who will ensure each member training has completed their daily attestation.  Our covid officers will also be there to ensure the club adheres to safety protocols when training.

Some FAQ’s:

WHAT WILL TRAINING BE LIKE?

Until the city of Toronto enters stage 3 of their pandemic re-opening, all Toronto rugby clubs will be required to maintain strict social distancing while training, which includes staying apart 2 metres at all times, and zero sharing of equipment.  Players will each have their own ball.

Once Toronto enters stage 3, Toronto rugby clubs will be able to share a ball during training, and may be able to play touch or flag rugby (but we are still waiting for touch rugby/flag rugby to be approved as a ‘low/no contact sport’ by the government).

WHAT DO I GET FOR MY DUES?

With your registration you’ll be eligible to train during the scheduled 18 sessions at Sunnybrook from August 3 to October 1.   Being registered also permits you to attend indoor training with the club this winter/spring.  YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE REGISTERED TO ATTEND ANY TRAINING SESSIONS, meaning this summer at Sunnybrook, or this winter/spring indoors.  Even if you don’t plan to attend many summer sessions, but will be coming out to indoor sessions, you may as well register now.  Your registration this summer will last until April 30, 2021.

A Buccaneers training t-shirt comes free with your dues.

Please note that when indoor training is scheduled for winter/spring you can expect to pay an additional fee if you wish to train then (to help with the costs of booking the indoor astroturf field).

CAN WE PLAY TOUCH AS SOON AS WE GET START TRAINING ON AUGUST 4?

No.  At this time we can only train maintaining physical distancing, which means not being able to play touch.  However, as explained before, once the government approves it as a ‘low contact’ sport, we’ll be good to go.  In the meantime our coaching staff have a great toolbox of rugby training drills to do while still respecting the required physical distancing.

WILL WE BE PLAYING ANY RUGBY GAMES THIS YEAR?

The short answer is ‘no’.  Without a covid-vaccine ready, and given the very small time frame left to actually train outdoors, there is little to no chance of a rugby season starting this calendar year.  What you can expect is that we’ll use this training to stay fit, work on our ball handling skills, and playing lots of touch.  We should treat this summer and upcoming winter/spring indoor training as a very long build up to the 2021 rugby season.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A MEMBER DEVELOPS THE COVID VIRUS DURING THIS SEASON?

The Buccaneers have a very detailed safety plan and emergency action plan to deal with any member who may contract the Covid virus.  With the daily personal attestations from every player before each training session, it will allow us to track and contact anyone who may have been exposed to that member.

I DON’T WANT TO PLAY THIS SEASON, BUT I’D LIKE TO COME BACK NEXT YEAR?  

That is absolutely not a problem whatsoever.  This Return to Play this summer is strictly for those members who want to come out.  There is an assumed risk if you return this season, and it is understood that this won’t be for everyone.  If you end up taking a year off, the club would love to have you back in 2021!  And of course we hope you continue to participate in any of our off-season socials if it’s safe for you to do so!

Cheers

Brian Crothers

Director of Rugby

Toronto Buccaneers RFC