Return to Soccer Stimulus Strategy
On the February 16 Member Discussion, we were proud to release SSA’s comprehensive Return to Soccer - Stimulus Strategy. We heard your concerns regarding the hardships related to the COVID 19 pandemic and have taken action to address those concerns with new options that will position your organization to prosper. Approximately $700,000 in funding has been allotted to this strategy and will be used to directly impact Member Organizations.
The goals of this strategy are as follows:
| To support all Member Organizations to be in a stronger position to return to the pitch and to continue offer quality opportunities for players. |
| To reduce the financial burdens brought on by the pandemic and to support Member Organization efforts to increase the number of participants, expand sport and organizational development opportunities, strengthen local capacity to grow the game, and assist with promotion of soccer in Saskatchewan. |
| To encourage engagement of new partners/members and under-represented groups. |
| To reduce barriers of participation, by supporting Member Organizations in maintaining reasonable registration fees. |
| To offer player engagement and fundraising opportunities that offer a high level of return while supporting Member Organization volunteer/staff capacity. |
Member Organizations must meet the following criteria to be eligible to receive the Stimulus Strategy benefits:
| Must meet all requirements of membership renewal prior to AGM | |
| Must meet all Return to Play requirements | |
| Meet registration requirements as outlined under funding programs | |
| As determined by the SSA Board of Directors, access to benefits outlined are a privilege, not a right, of membership, that is granted to those Member Organizations that: -Work in harmony, conducting themselves professionally, according to SSA values and the SSA Code of Conduct & Ethics at all times, -Work to align their programming and operations with SSA strategic and operational priorities. -Are in Good Standing,-Are compliant with the by-laws, policies, and directives of SSA |
Stimulus Strategy Components
Member Organizations are encouraged to take advantage of all the new benefits which they are eligible for, and which they believe will contribute to the growth and quality of the game in their community.
1. FREE SOCCER ANYONE?
Rafflebox is a province wide 50—50 style online fundraiser, that will directly benefit those member organizations that opt in to use it. We were pleased by the interest we received on the Member call and are moving forward with the setup of the lottery.
We have planned this as a direct Member, Club, Team and Participant benefit. SSA will do the work to manage the raffle and sellers will receive 35% of total sales. 50% will go to the winner and the remaining 15% will cover the costs of the raffle and all related marketing.
Purchasers will be able to select your Member Organization/Club or Team from the online platform and the proceeds from those sales will go directly to you.
We hope you see the potential! Our vision is that this raffle could fund all costs related to participation in soccer which could really encourage the participants to continue in the game. This will also be a major incentive to keep selling and achieve higher sales each week.
Rafflebox has just received approval, from Sask Liquor & Gaming Authority (SLGA), to operate in the province and SSA will be one of the first partners to launch with them.
Between now and the end of March SSA will work to obtain the lottery license. Our goal is to launch at the AGM and be ready to start selling by April 1, but to do that we will need your support.
Our application to SLGA has a better likelihood of success if we have strong support from Membership early in the application process.
For all members that may wish to participate, please confirm your interest by completing this agreement form and returning it to ea@sasksoccer.com by February 26th. There is no risk to you to complete this form and your timely cooperation will be a huge asset to SSA to ensure we are first to market and support our application to SLGA.
Please note, from what we have seen so far, this 50-50 model sells itself. Rafflebox will work closely with SSA to maximize marketing potential through social media. Enthusiastic sellers will of course help to keep prize payouts high.
In the near future, we will host a call to work through the details with all who have expressed interest once we have further developed our application to the Gaming Commission.
For now, please get on board and complete the agreement by February 26th.
2. Player Engagement Opportunity - Techne Futbol
Techne Futbol is an app that works on iOs, Android and Google and will be made available to any interested players from a participating Member Organization at no cost for the months of March, April, and May. The app can help Member Organization’s engage with current and attract future participants by engaging them through a variety of technical soccer activities that can be completed at home.
If you are interested in participating (opt-in for Member Organizations) please email Rahim Z Mohamed dos@sasksoccer.com for a detailed information sheet. Members of the Techne Futbol team presented this past Thursday, please see recording of the video here.
SSA will run weekly leaderboards with prizes for participants and a monthly Member Organization prize, more details to follow.
3. MAP Grant
This year $239,700 in funding from the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation's Membership Assistance Program will be distributed to SSA Member Organizations. Adjustments to the MAP Grant policy have been made again this year for COVID19. Applications open in April and further details will be provided in the coming months.
Please review all updates to the MAP Policy (SSA Policy Section 11 - Grants).
4. Indoor Support Funding
Up to $100,000 will be distributed to Member Organizations who have renewed by March 15th and had registrations in the Fall Indoor 20/21 season. Organizations who are eligible will be contacted after the March 15th Member Renewal deadline.
5. Return to Play Stimulus Funding
Up to $150,000 will be distributed to Member Organizations that offer programming in the Outdoor 2021 season (exceptions will be made for those that are traditionally indoor only). The funding will be applied as a credit to the organization’s 2021 outdoor or indoor registrations. Only organizations that registered participants in 2019 and/or 2020 will be eligible. Further details will be provided in May.
6. 2021 Outdoor Registration Fees
We are pleased to announce that fee increases planned for 2021 have been put on hold and Outdoor Registration fees will be reduced by 50%, as follows:
Mini - from $16 to $8 per participant per category*Youth - from $32 to $16 per participant per category
Adult - from $32 to $16 per participant per category
Team Personnel - from $10 to $5 per participant per category
*Categories include soccer and futsal
The fees will be reflected on the Outdoor 2021 Registrar Reports which will be made available later this month. Registration deadlines and more information can be found on our Registration page.
7. Indoor Fees
There will also be no increases to fees for indoor in 2021. The Board will set Indoor fees based on the government guidelines for sport. Our goal is to communicate any changes in these fees to membership by July 1st.
8. Referee Fees
For 2021, Referee fees will be 50% of current rates.
The fees will be reflected on the Outdoor 2021 Registrar Reports which will be made available later this month. Registration deadlines and more information can be found on our Registration page.
9.SSA Grants
This year up to $20,000 will be allotted to Female Development, Referee Development and Coaching Professional Development grants.
10. External Funding Opportunities
We will continue to share government and non-government funding opportunities with Member Organization through our communications and on our COVID resources page.
Overall, we believe that the comprehensive Return to Soccer - Stimulus Strategy, including the new fundraising and player engagement initiatives, along with the significant levels of financial supports available, will encourage all Members to offer soccer this year. This Stimulus Strategy provides substantial added value to all Members and we encourage your participation. Off the pitch we will continue to provide the support necessary to ensure all Member Organizations are ready to Return to Soccer.
