| Summer Heat and Air Quality Guidelines for SOSA District | ||
| PLAY ON | USE CAUTION | SUSPEND PLAY |
| Less than 32°C including humidex | Above 32°C but less than 40°C including humidex | 40°C and above including humidex |
| ENVIRONMENT CANADA DATA Air Quality Index Low Risk 1-3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Air Quality Index - IQAir Scale 0-50, “Good” Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. | ENVIRONMENT CANADA DATA Air Quality Index Moderate Risk 4-6 - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - Air Quality Index - IQAir Scale 51-100, “Moderate” Air quality is acceptable and poses little health risk. Sensitive individuals should avoid outdoor activity as they may experience respiratory symptoms. 101-150, “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” The general public should greatly reduce outdoor exertion. Sensitive groups should avoid all outdoor activity. | ENVIRONMENT CANADA DATA Air Quality Index High Risk 7-10 Very High Risk Above 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Air Quality Index - IQAir Scale 151-200, “Unhealthy” Everyone should avoid outdoor exercise and take care to wear a pollution mask outdoors. 201-300, “Very Unhealthy” Everyone should avoid outdoor exercise and take care to wear a pollution mask outdoors. 301-500+, “Hazardous” Everyone should avoid exercise |
| Training and Games proceed as normal. | Training and Games are to proceed with adjustments. - Physical exertion and intensity is to be reduced for training. - Matches must have at least one 60 second water break in each half. It is up to the discretion of the Referee and/or coaches to provide additional water breaks in each half. The game clock is to be stopped during water breaks. - Unlimited substitutions are to be allowed. The match official and coaches from both teams should discuss and agree on allowing piggy back substitutions on throw-ins. | Games are cancelled. Training should be cancelled or proceed with adjustments and extreme caution. |
| At all times, Team Officials must be aware of individual player health conditions and concerns and make appropriate adjustments for the player’s wellbeing. Know who uses an inhaler and where it is kept during training and games.. | ||
| The reference tool for Temperature, Humidex and Air Quality shall be Environment Canada. https://weather.gc.ca We will also use IQAir for cities without an Air Quality reporting station on EC. We use the hourly forecast for the city or the closest reported location to where the match is being played. For games starting on the half-hour, we use the on-the-hour predicted temperature just before kickoff. | ||
| The District will review local forecasted conditions for scheduled kickoff times by 2:00 pm on game day for weekday games and shall notify Clubs by 3:00 pm. For weekend games, the District will review forecasted conditions and provide notice to the teams 4 hours ahead of the scheduled kickoff time. | ||
Page updated Sept. 2026
Ontario Soccer is pleased to share a comprehensive update to our Grassroots Soccer Resources, designed to support the consistent and developmentally appropriate delivery of small-sided soccer across the province.
We are excited to release the newly developed Adapted Match Formats Laws of the Game, a unified resource that replaces the previous Small-Sided Laws of the Game document. This new document aligns with the newly mandated Canada Soccer Grassroots Standards and consolidates multiple documents into one clear and practical guide.
Click HERE or visit the Ontario Soccer website under Officials – Laws of the Game & Rules.
UPDATED SEPT. 2026
@sosaleague
Canada Soccer has a severe weather policy. Players, referees, coaches and parents should review this before you go to the field.
30/30 Rule - Lightning safety guideline: if the time between seeing lightning and hearing thunder is 30 seconds or less, seek proper shelter immediately. Wait at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder before leaving the shelter.
SOSA & Ontario Soccer ask that all match officials carefully read and implement the policy.
The safety of players, coaches, management and spectators is the primary concern in any weather event that occurs during all matches sanctioned by Canada Soccer. By understanding and following the policy that can be found in the above link, the safety of everyone shall be greatly increased. Ultimately, the referee has the final say over delaying or restarting a match due to weather.
Waiting to stop play or not waiting to start play may result in a serious injury or loss of life.
Referees are expected to act responsibly when dealing with such events during matches they are controlling If you can hear thunder, you can get hit by lightning. As soon as you hear thunder, quickly get to a safe location. If you see lightning, quickly get to a safe location. More people are struck before and after a thunderstorm than during one. Stay inside for 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.
October 2025
Ontario Soccer is proud to pave the way for a cultural change in treatment of Match Officials through the No Ref, No Game program.
No Ref, No Game strives to stop the cycle of abuse and bullying towards match officials through culture change.
Click here to find out more
Ontario Soccer is looking for new referees.
Why don't you give it a try? Without referees, we can't have a game.
There are lots of good reasons to become a referee!
You can now register to take a referee course with Ontario Soccer.
There are two courses on offer from Ontario Soccer:
Small Sided (for 5 v 5 and 7 v 7 games)
Entry level (for 9 v 9 and 11 v 11 games)
If you have questions, contact your Club and they can put you in touch with their Head Referee.
To register for a course please go to www.refcentre.com/ontario
On July 1, 2019, new rules came into effect through Rowan’s Law, to improve concussion safety in amateur competitive sport.
Everyone can help recognize a possible concussion if they know what to look for.
A person with a concussion might have any of the signs or symptoms listed below. They might show up right away or hours, or even days later. Just one sign or symptom is enough to suspect a concussion. Most people with a concussion do not lose consciousness.
Get to know the "Red Flags" of a concussion
“Red flags” may mean the person has a more serious injury. Treat red flags as an emergency and call 911.
Red flags include:
To find out more about concussion awareness and Rowan's Law please visit this website
UPDATED SEPT. 2026
