UPDATE February 7th 2022
UPDATE FEBRUARY 7TH 2022
Good afternoon, Parkland Basketball families,
Just some updates regarding the following:
- Practices this week
- U9 & Jr.Nba
- EYBA league play and playoffs
- Spring league
Practices
We do not have gyms this Thursday and Friday due to PD days. Any practices on those days are cancelled.
U9 & Jr.NBA
The next two weekends are off, due to teachers’ convention / PD days, and the following weekend is the family day weekend. Sessions will resume February 26th and go till the end of March.
EYBA League Play and Playoff
Regular season games are now complete, and playoffs are to begin this weekend. Below is a message from the EYBA:
Tier 1 & 2, (A & B) Brackets are available on the main menu of the website under “Playoff Brackets” and games have been assigned to them if they click on their teams as they’ve done all year.
If there is a discrepancy between their game and what it says on the bracket, please let me know. All games need to be scored so I can assign everyone their next game.
Community games, Tier 3 and lower / formerly “C, D”, and brackets should be posted by end of day today, or latest tomorrow.
Thanks,
Taylor Anstice
Executive Director - EYBA
NOTE: There will be no games family day weekend.
Spring League
Parkland is willing to assist any coach wanting to put their existing or new team into the EYBA spring league or any tournaments of their choosing. If anyone you know is willing to coach a spring team, please let us know, as we are looking to hold tryouts for those that aren’t on teams already.
The benefit of continuing through parkland is you have already paid the ABA membership / insurance fee, we also have access to free gyms for practice and we can ensure you get into licensed reputable tournaments, leagues, and programs. We have also secured a new supplier for gear and jerseys.
The EYBA will be running spring league out of their new facility!
A return to “normal” is getting closer. Getting kids back to a more inclusive environment absent what we just endured via rules and restrictions, and especially the awful “NO Spectators Rules” is our main goal. Parkland will also be focused on providing more camps, 3 x 3 tournaments, skills training opportunities and a return to a house league model in conjunction with our EYBA league play. This spring and summer we will be bringing in personal trainers, college athletes and coaches, and taking advantage of our ABA membership to get our youth the training they miss
Message from PCBL
It was a very trying year for us all, and on behalf of Parkland Basketball I can not thank you enough for the patience and understanding you have all shown us this past 20 months. We are hitting the drawing board over the next few months as we plan on what Parkland Basketball will offer in the coming seasons. We are looking for people willing to help build for a post Covid future, as we believe we will be able to return to proper board meetings, in person interaction with division coordinators and SPECTATORS !!!!
If you or anyone you know is interested in helping please feel free to contact us @ vicepresident@parklandbasketball.ca or call me on my cell at 780-887-6881
Best regards,
Jay Ouellette
UPDATE JAN 21ST , 2022
Good news, we once again are permitted to be in the gyms, and we are back at it tomorrow.
- U9 program group practice sessions Return this Saturdays Jan 22nd , 29th & Feb 5th / Broxton Park School 9:00 am - 10:30 am
- JR. NBA sessions return this Saturday as well for the same dates listed above / Broxton Park School -10:40 am -11:40 am
- Coaches and parent volunteers are to welcome to stay at the school if they are actively helping with the sessions and practices. *Must be compliant with the restriction listed below under ‘Parkland Schools”*
- U9 teams - After the next 3 scheduled skills sessions we will separate athletes into teams to begin game play.
- U9 Bring indoor shoes, shorts, water bottle and ball if you have one.
- NBA Bring indoor shoes, shorts, and water bottle.
Parkland Schools
School gyms currently still do not allow spectators, we are hoping that changes sooner than later. Spectators is something we will continue to lobby for. Players and volunteers over the age of 12 will need to be fully vaccinated, and or able to provide a negative rapid antigen test to participate in a Parkland School Gym. This will be randomly audited by the city so please be sure you or your child has the necessary documentation. If you or your child is has any cold like symptoms please refrain from attending.
**This is NOT a Parkland Basketball policy; it is that of the two respective school boards. **
PLEASE BE SURE TO ESCORT YOUR CHILD IN AND OUT OF THE SCHOOL.
Parkland Basketball.
PCBL
UPDATE JAN 4TH 2022
Good morning Parkland families,
Hope you all enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season. There have been quite a few changes over the past few weeks we would like to share with you.
As many of you know with the rising cases of the covid variant Omicron, the Government of Alberta has mandated a delay in the return to school for all students. They have also implemented further restrictions. As of right now we are still permitted to continue our programming. We do not have access to school gyms this week for practice, and any games that were scheduled in schools this week have either been cancelled or rescheduled at the Saville centre.
Furthermore, the U of A and Saville Community Sports Centre have reinstated their no spectator policy until January 21st.
Please check the game schedule at www.edmontonyouthbasketball.com for U11, U13, & U15 updates.
The continuation of our U9 & Jr.NBA program has also been tentatively pushed back until Saturday Jan 15th. Updates will be provided as they come in.
We understand that this is yet another set back in what has proven to be a very frustrating transition back to sport. We will work closely with our local municipality to put together a tentative practice schedule for when we “may” be back in the school gyms. Coaches will be in touch with you as soon as those schedules are available.
In the first half of the season as we continued to adjust to playing in the “new” norm. These adjustments forced some of our teams to struggle with player attendance. We received numerous emails and calls from parents and coaches as the kids struggled to compete with only 5-6 players. Athletes were exhausted, and frustrated. Please be sure to keep communication high and give your coach notice as to whether your child is attending a practice or game. Unfortunately, many times our coaches had no idea who would be attending. We need to work together and keep communication high.
As Vaccine mandates increased, so did program withdrawals. That combined with poor attendance has forced us to merge a couple teams together so that they would have enough players to compete on a level playing field:
- U13 Boys - Team Litvinchuk / Desnoyers joins team Feniuk
- U15 Boys - Team Kozak joins team Green
Please note: The EYBA second half schedule reflects these changes.
We thank you again for your continued support and patience as we try to remain fluid with these constant adjustments.
Wishing you all the best in the second half of your season!
Best regards,
Parkland Basketball
Below are the communications we received from the League, City, and Saville Centre:
UPDATE FOR SCHOOL USE
Good afternoon, Gymnasium Users,
We are aware of the decision by the provincial government to keep schools closed until January 10. At this time, we are still assessing how this will impact Community Access into schools, and will not likely have any confirmation until early next week. As a precaution, we will cancel January 3 - 10 to provide us time to confirm any impacts.
Additionally, we will be pushing back our open season date. The new date will be included in subsequent updates.
We thank you for your understanding as we understand that this is frustrating and very short notice but proceeding with caution with as much information as possible about this new strain is prudent.
Gymnasium Rentals
SAVILLE SPECTATOR UPDATE
Directors,
Unfortunately, Saville will no longer allow spectators for our basketball games. The letter below states no spectators will be allowed between Dec 27th and Jan 21st.
EYBA
December 23, Update for Edmonton Grads Basketball Centre Clients,
Saville Community Sports Centre and Edmonton Grads Basketball Centre continue to seek opportunities to serve our clients' health and wellness needs and to support the Government of Alberta's objective to reduce our contacts by 50%. Therefore, we would like to make you aware of new restrictions associated with the use of the Saville Community Sports Centre (West):
Effective December 27 (until January 21)
- Spectators will not be permitted within the facility.
- Only one parent/guardian may escort their child if they require support or guidance to find their designated activity space within our facility. The parent/guardian must leave the facility immediately afterward.
- Participants are strongly encouraged to leave as soon as possible following their activity. Please do not linger in the facility.
- Drop-in capacity will be limited; please ensure space is available before dropping off youth participants.
Reminders
All clients (12 years and older) must be fully vaccinated (14 days past 2nd dose) before entering the facility.
Masks are required at all times, except while engaged in high-intensity activities; coaches are requested to modify activities to allow participants to wear masks as much as possible.
The information noted in this update is subject to change without notice. We will continue to evaluate and make necessary changes as the situation evolves.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Season's Greetings!
Edmonton Grads Basketball Centre
Saville Community Sports Center
UPDATE NOV 26TH
Good afternoon valued, extremely patient members!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your patience. We have answers and information to share regarding:
- U9 & jr. NBA - Late start up and extended season
- Refunds
- Transition Season Reminders
- Parkland School Policies
Jr.NBA & U9
We had originally hoped to have the Jr. Nba & U9 programs start up Monday November 23. Unfortunately, as we received gym contracts from the city of Spruce Grove it took less than 24 hrs for schools to start cancelling dates in droves on all user groups. It is disappointing that the schools chose to wait until the city handed out contracts months later than they normally do to start blocking off dates. Fortunately, we gain four more schools in the new year! With the limited time before then we were scrambling to allocate practice time to those well into their EYBA league play.
We have a 100% confirmed start dates below for the Jr. NBA and the U9 Program. We can also confirm that despite the late start, we will get all 10 Jr. NBA sessions in as well as get the full number of games and practices in for the U9’s. We will be extending the U9 season to mid April versus the usual mid February completion date.
- U9 open gym meet and great Saturday Nov 27th 9am - 10:30am. Athletes will be able to shoot around and get to meet the other kids. Volunteers and Coaches will get to work with the kids. Broxton Park School
- NBA open gym meet and great Saturday Nov 27th 10:40am - 11:40am. Volunteers and Coaches will get to work with the kids. Broxton Park school
- U9 program group practice sessions on Saturdays Dec 4th, 11th & 18th / Broxton Park School 9:00 am - 10:30 am
- NBA sessions on Saturdays Dec 4th, 11th & 18th as well / Broxton Park School -10:40 am -11:40 am
- Coaches and parent volunteers are to stay at the school and help with sessions and practices. *Must be compliant with the restriction listed below under ‘Parkland Schools”*
- U9 teams - After the scheduled 3 skills sessions we will separate athletes into teams to begin game play in the new year.
- U9 Bring indoor shoes, shorts, water bottle and ball if you have one.
- NBA Bring indoor shoes, shorts, and water bottle.
- In the new year we will have weekday evening practices and sessions in addition to weekend games and sessions.
Parkland Schools
School gyms currently do not allow spectators, we are hoping that changes in January. Spectators is something we will be lobbying and fighting for daily. With stadiums filled with people and schools having visiting schools participating in school tournaments we strongly disagree with the logic behind this policy. Players and volunteers over the age of 12 will need to be fully vaccinated, and or able to provide a negative rapid antigen test to participate in a Parkland School Gym. This will be randomly audited by the city so please be sure you or your child has the necessary documentation. Some of our parents have been able to procure these tests in bulk for rather cheap.
**This is NOT a Parkland Basketball policy; it is that of the two respective school boards. **
Reminders EYBA
Those playing in the EYBA in addition to the Saville Centre, Legacy Athletics, and Servus Place, you will now be having games in Edmonton area schools. Restrictions are the same, no spectators, must provide proof of vaccination if over the age of 12. *Exception is Servus Place, 17 and under in organized sports is exempt** Saville centre & Legacy Athletics now only accept QR code or verified exemptions.
YOU MUST CONFIRM GAME ATTENDANCE OR ABSENCE WITH YOUR COACH! Coaches are now required to fill out a 1-minute online form verifying player and coach attendance numbers, and that all participants meet the REP requirements. No specific information is collected or shared just numbers of vaccinated or exempt. Edmonton will be conducting audits as well so have all necessary documentation with your child or on your persons. It is our understanding that our current athletes and volunteers meet these requirements.
Refunds
Refunds and credits have been processed, there were a couple missed, so if you are still waiting, please let us know and include “refund” in the subject line.
REMINDER * Transition Season Restraints
Please keep in mind that with reduced registration and roster numbers PCBL is once again subsidizing the cost of this season. We kept registration costs at the budget rate based upon 12 athletes per team. The EYBA has also increased its costs relevant to their increases post covid, we did not pass those costs on to our members. Our teams are averaging 8.75 players per team. We are looking at reopening registration to fill vacated roster spots, and or combining teams going into the new year when the EYBA reseeds the teams. For now, we are just trying to make it Christmas break. It is our hope these practices will help those teams struggling.
We at Parkland value practices more than games, as they are the building blocks of athletic development, and we are equally frustrated that we have not had access to school gyms until now. We will be scheduling additional skills sessions and camps in the new year to help make up for lost time. Parkland Basketball fee’s have never had a cost associated to weekday gym bookings / practices. Our weekday evening Parkland gyms are free from the city, and therefore our membership fees are cheaper than basketball clubs’ using private facilities / school gyms that charge for weekday gym rentals. Our weekend gyms, officials, league fee’s, gear, equipment, website, and administrative charges are all we charge for. We are a non-for-profit organization that prides ourselves on providing affordable opportunity for youth.
Thank you for your continued support! If you or anyone you know is interested in sponsoring PCBL please let us know. Every little bit helps us continue to offer affordable programming.
Best regards,
Jay Ouellette
UPDATE OCTOBER 14TH
Saville centre is now allowing Spectators! Please read articles for REP program details regarding spectator policies:
Note: Negative tests are no longer accepted at the Saville centre. Single vaccination 14 days prior to date of activity is still accepted. After October 25th Full vaccination required. Religious and medical exemption policies are listed IN ABOVE ARTICLE.
EYBA schedules are all posted. The league is only posting 2 weeks at a time as they wait for school gym access.
EYBA Schedule: www.edmontonyouthbasketball.com
- We found coaches for both the U13 & U15 Boys teams ! Thank you to those that volunteered.
- jr.Nba and U9 will start in November. We are waiting on gyms from schools. We anticipate getting contracts November 2nd
Update September 30, 2021
Good afternoon parents and players,
Just a quick update. We are finalizing rosters, we apologize for the delay. We have had to alter / change them a few times already as some athletes have been forced to withdraw due to facility policies we have no control over. That being said our numbers remain strong. We hope to have finalized lists sent out by Sunday. Please bear with us as we sort all this out.
There are a few teams that will be competing in this weekend’s seeding tournament, those players have been notified directly by their coaches already.
U13 Boys Lewis
U15 Boys Beamish
U15 Girls Watson
Seeding schedule: http://edmontonyouthbasketball.com/article/69634
REMINDER NO SPECTATORS and REP restrictions program is in place, for full details on the REP program please read this article:
** The above teams have been notified**
- U18 Boys Games start next weekend October 8th & 9th. Coaches will be in touch with players over the next few days or so.
U18 Girls- First Game is this Saturday: http://edmontonyouthbasketball.com/team/5673/283/4587/106371
2PM at Legacy Athletics- 6034-83 street Edmonton, AB *REP restrictions program is in effect*
- Must have proof of single vaccination 2 weeks or more prior to game date
- Or, Provide Negative Rapid test within the last 72 hours ( available at select Shoppers drug marts for $40.00)
- Or, provide proof of full vaccination
- Photo ID must be provided in conjunction with the above. Student ID will suffice as well.
- If you have a reversible jersey or uniform from previous season please bring it and a basketball
Remaining teams and programs:
- NBA and U9 programs will start after November 2, 2021. Access to Parkland County school gyms has been delayed.
- All other U11, U13, and U15 teams playing in the EYBA community divisions will not start until after Thanksgiving. Games will start October 15 & 16th with some teams starting the following weekend. Game schedule will come out next week. The schedule will cover 2 weeks at a time.
- Coaches and Parkland Basketball representatives will forward all information to you as it comes in next week
- Rosters will be sent out and confirmed on our website this Sunday.
- WE HAVE NO PRACTICE TIMES UNTIL WE GET INTO GYMS. If we don't get into school gyms we will explore booking other facilities.
- You have not missed any information yet.
Thankyou to all our volunteers and our families for your help and patience. We will get through this together. We look forward to getting the kids out there 😊
Update September 17th, 2021
As know more restrictions were put into place on September 16th, that being said we are pleased to announce that despite these restrictions’ youth sports are moving forward under the following guidelines:
Please keep in mind that proof of vaccination for sports facilities, for those twelve and older, will not be in place until Monday September 20th.
As much as we know this is not ideal, it is our hope and that of the facilities, AHS, and that of the Alberta Governments, this requirement will be temporary as vaccination numbers increase, and COVID cases decrease.
We respect any and all points of view on this matter.
Youth (under 18) sport, fitness, recreation, and performance activities (Sept 16)
- Indoor group classes, training, and competitions are permitted, but participants are required to:
- screen for symptoms
- maintain 2 metres distancing, except youth while engaged in physical activity
- wear a mask, except youth while engaged in physical activity
- Outdoor activities can continue with no restrictions.
- Saville Centre has NO SPECTATORS policy in place at this time.
- Facilities that allow spectators are reduced to 1/3 the fire code.
Coaches will screen for symptoms prior to every game/practice/event.
The Saville Centre has announced their adopting the Restrictions Exemption Program which requires people aged 12 and over to provide the following upon entering their facility:
- proof of vaccination
- partial vaccination (one dose) accepted September 20 to October 25 if received 2 weeks before time of service
- full vaccination (two doses) required after October 25
- or proof of a privately-paid negative PCR or rapid test within 72 hours of service (tests from AHS or Alberta Precision Laboratories not allowed)
- documentation of a medical exemption
- No Spectators
We have yet to confirm what Exemption Programs the Schools will have in place.
We look forward to seeing you all at your upcoming evaluations. Thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate through all of this. As always, your safety is our number one concern.
Best regards,
Jay Ouellette
SEPTEMBER 11TH UPDATE
Good morning Parkland Families,
First off, thank you for your patience as we continue to work to get the season underway. We are still waiting on local municipalities and the Schools to advise us when we will get access to gyms. Last we heard it was going to be the first or second weekend of October.
We are looking to book evaluations at either the Saville Centre, Tri -Liesure, and possibly some outdoor courts. Evaluations for U11, 13, 15, & 18 will take place between September 17th-26th. U9’s will be just before or after Thanksgiving.
Evaluation dates to be confirmed via email and all social media by Wednesday September 15th
Season Game Play Start Dates:
- U18 games, boys/girls are the last weekend of September
- Jr.NBA & U9 - October 16th
- U11, 13, 15 - October 16th
Please stay tuned for more updates as information becomes available. We will be contacting all volunteers who put their name forward this week. We still in need more coaches and volunteers. So, if you or anyone you know may be interested please let us know.
We look forward to seeing you all very soon !
