Looking forward to a great 2020 season!

Slo-pitch, slow pitch or softball, no matter how you spell it, it's a great game!

The City of Toronto has cancelled all permits up to and including June 28 and the City of Mississauga up to July 3.
SPN has cancelled/postponed all 2020 SPN National Championships.
For official Slo-Pitch National page on SPN National Championship postponement.
SPN Provincial Championships TBA depending on municipal and provincial guidelines.
SPN has posted recommendations for League and Event Management Return to Play along with Game Related Suggestions.
For full announcement and detailed suggestions:
Slo-Pitch National Covid-19 Recommendations For League and Event Management Return to Play
Note that this information is a national response and some provinces are more open than Ontario.
NSA has posted something similar with some silly rules: NSA Canada releases guidelines for the return of slo-pitch leagues
Slo-Pitch National has introduced the Double Play Deal for all 2020 carded umpires. The “Double Play Deal” will offer all 2020 carded officials, membership for both the 2020 and 2021 slo-pitch seasons. Double Play Deal for all SPN 2020 carded umpires
We still need to be patient and wait for forthcoming announcements and how they pertain to our parks and the ability to gather.
Toronto hac cancelled the Exhibition confirming that the Covid reach extends into the fall.
Toronto has opened SOME parks - but NOT sports fields. Closest thing to open is the golf courses.
I will send out an email but probably not until June to determine how many teams are returning, and how many are willing to play some sort of season this year. I will soon post what league slo-pitch will probably look like for 2020.

What will league slo-pitch look like for 2020?
There will be all kinds of rules like safe-distancing, no celebrations. Exactly the opposite of what slo-pitch is all about - bringing people closer together. Anybody with a runny nose will be shunned. If you get down and dirty expect to be sprayed with Lysol.
And the financial aspect of the game will be a nightmare. How many players will still be able to commit to another financial obligation.
So many company teams where players have lost their jobs or people who are just getting back on their feet.
Because we have to remember that this is not about players, it is about people.

As I said before, we will send out an email in June and tell team reps that it's time to start contacting players and finding out who and how many are returning. Toughest part is that if the team rep is unable to commit then the team will have a difficult time getting reorganized. We will probably resort to ad hoc teams merging and borrowing players from other teams.
If parks open the first week of July then it is probably going to take two weeks to get teams organized and some sort of schedule out. Usually regular season ends and playoffs start middle of August (because all the teams make the playoffs) which would only leave 4 weeks for a regular season and 4 weeks for playoffs. Mississauga parks all close down the middle of September. We can apply for an extension but we were denied last time we asked for an extension. One obvious step is to reduce the number of teams that qualify for the playoffs, only advancing half the teams (like most other leagues).

FIRST PRIORITY: Our first priority is the safety of all the league members. Our next priority is the continued success of the league.
These priorities extend to ALL slo-pitch players and the continued success of our tournaments.
LEAGUE FEES: NO IDEA. We will try to reduce league fees as much as possible and offer delayed payments in order to ease the financial burden on the team reps and the players. I know that many teams will lose players due to financial constraints. And I know that many company sponsored teams will lose their sponsorship and I would like to work with them to see their continued registration.
FIRST RSPA LEAGUE MEETING FOR TEAM REPS:
The first RSPA league meeting will be scheduled for a Tuesday night sometime in JUNE optimistically or as soon as we are allowed to gather. The second and final RSPA meeting will be scheduled a week later on the following Tuesday night, with the season schedule starting sometime in JULY.
Both meetings will be drop-in style, anytime from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm at The Irish Shebeen Pub, 5555 Eglinton Ave. W., Etobicoke.
If the virus is still active, we will take every precaution to limit possible exposure. It will be more important than ever to support not only our sponsor Irish Shebeen, but all local businesses and businesses that support and sponsor RSPA league.
TOURNAMENT: There is an RSPA tournament scheduled for the weekend July 4-5 and IF the permits aren't cancelled and IF the teams are ready to play and IF nothing else happens I am hoping that everybody will be eager to get out. Fallback date is July 18-19.
RSPA OPEN PRACTICES FOR NEW PLAYERS:
Probably start open practices July 5 (optimistically). But I am betting that a lot of teams will be looking for new players. RSPA will look at a lot of options, from merging teams that have lost too many players, or temporarily placing players until their original team is back up and running.
RSPA/SPN UMPIRE CLINIC THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2020: All SPN umpire clinics have been cancelled and the RSPA/SPN umpire clinic is rescheduled to tentatively THURSDAY, JULY 2 at Diamond Beach (if it is open).
RSPA needs SPN carded umpires for recreational coed slo-pitch league. We will train and card. You will be eligible to umpire any SPN league or tournament. RSPA pays: $45 single game; $70/$80 double-header; $100 3-gamer 6:30-11:00 pm.
Get out get some exercise, have some fun and earn some extra cash.

Looking forward to a season where the only Corona is in a cold bottle!
Randy Warren, President, RSPA.

RSPA Coed (7M-3F) Slo-Pitch League looking for new teams 2020!

2020 Slo-Pitch National Official Slo-Pitch Rule Book in PDF now available at: 2020 Slo-Pitch National Official Slo-Pitch Rule Book

Rulebook Changes:
Rule 2 Sec. 6: All players may wear a glove or mitt of any size, including a “trapper” style glove.
Rule 2 Sec. 9A, STG&OR Sec. 8 A: All those participating in a game shall wear the adopted TEAM UNIFORM, and must wear shoes, and shall wear properly. Manager/Coach or team representative when on the field, shall wear the adopted full uniform, shoes and if appropriate, jacket, which should include the teams emblem or similar attire that matches the colour code of the team, which can will readily identify them as a member of the team.
Effect: Sec. 9 A: Manager/Coach or team representative shall be asked to dress properly. If they refuse they will be removed until they are dressed in accordance with the team uniform. Protest is not allowed for the uniform rule.
STG&OR Sec. 1 F: Any Manager/Coach or team representative or player who is ejected from a game by an umpire for unsportsmanlike conduct shall automatically be suspended for his or her next schedule game. If the ejected person is registered to participate on more than one team, they may not participate for any other team until they have served their automatic suspension. His/ her actions will be reviewed by the tournament committee for further possible penalties or sanctions. Ejections which are not considered unsportsmanlike conduct, the automatic suspension for his or her next scheduled game will not apply.
SPN Policy Changes:
STG&OR Sec. 2 A Example: A player MAY compete, on one Masters division 35+ team, one Seniors division 50+ team, one COED team and one single sex (Men’s or Woman’s) team in the same sanctioned event, if registered as per (i) above. Example: A player may not compete in single sex (Men’s/ Woman’s) “A” and “C” nor may a player compete in Coed “B” and in Coed “E”. A Senior player may compete on one team in 50+, 60+ and 65+ in the same sanctioned event.
STG&OR Sec. 2 D: PLAYERS MAY BE REQUESTED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF IDENTITY. SUFFICIENT PROOF OF IDENTITY MAY BE TWO PIECES OF IDENTIFICATION (ONE OF WHICH MUST HAVE A PHOTOGRAPH ATTACHED) BOTH BEARING PLAYER SIGNATURE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES. THESE TWO PIECES OF INDENTIFICATION SHOULD BE RECENT WITH THE PLAYER’S CURRENT NAME AS USED ON LEGAL DOCUMENTATION. NOTE: THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE MAY, AT ITS DISCRETION, ACCEPT VISUAL VERIFICATION OF IDENTITY FROM SLO-PITCH NATIONAL. RECOGNIZED PERSONNEL AS PROOF OF IDENTITY IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES ONLY AND WHERE THE PLAYER IS UNABLE TO PRODUCE TWO PIECES OF IDENTIFICATION AS DEFINED ABOVE WITH REASON ACCPETABLE TO TOURNAMENT COMMITTEEE.
STG&OR Sec. 10: Manager/Coach or team representative are responsible for ensuring the final scores once posted are correct. Manager/Coach or team representative of both teams must verify that the score on the home team’s official scoresheet is properly submitted. Any discrepancies in scores must be brought to the attention of the tournament convener immediately.
Official SPN web site: 2020 Slo-Pitch National Rulebook and Policy Changes

RSPA needs SPN carded umpires for recreational coed slo-pitch league. We will train and card. You will be eligible to umpire any SPN league or tournament. RSPA pays: $45 single game; $70/$80 double-header; $100 3-gamer 6:30-11:00 pm.
2020 SPN umpire registration now covers two years 2020-2021.
You will become a fully sanctioned SPN umpire, eligible to umpire any SPN league or tournament in Canada.
Clinic cost is $110 and includes: SPN umpire card, rulebook, hat, instruction clinic and umpire test.
If you have already written the SPN test you may attend the RSPA umpire clinic for free.
If you attend the RSPA umpire clinic, we will guarantee umpire bookings of at least your clinic cost
    (we cannot guarantee parks or nights).
RSPA is an adult recreational, coed league, with parks in Mississauga-Etobicoke, Monday to Friday, weekend tournaments available.
Contact Randy Warren, accent@slopitch1.com
Get out get some exercise, have some fun and earn some extra cash.

• Team Rep Appreciation Gift & Appreciation Draw • Team Draws • Free Pitcher •