Coronavirus Update - June 7

by Bryan Panchuk

JUNE 7 UPDATE

Hello everyone.  So an update after some discussions this past week.  There are some positive developments in that both the City of Vancouver and Coquitlam are starting to look into the opening of community centres but timeline is still a question mark.  We are doing whatever we can do speed up the process, including creating some internal guidelines to address the risks of the Covid19 virus.  We plan to get these guidelines over to them this week.  We know that some of you have been holding your deposits as we all wait for more information.  It is still hard to say what could happen but there is a chance that we could be playing again in July if they approve our guidelines and the cities are able to rollout their own guidelines and address staffing issues over the next couple weeks.  If we did play, we are still unsure what format it would be as currently registered teams may have issues getting their full teams back so it may be hard to move forward with full league play this season.  Therefore, we are also looking into the idea of having a draft league where everyone would register as an individual (with the option of signing up with a friend) and then we would form and balance teams as evenly as possible and then just play a quick round robin and playoffs.  Team reps should receive a survey shortly asking about this.

Based on the above, we recognize that some teams will need their deposit back but some may be ok with holding out a little longer or rolling some or all of the deposit over to the next season.  With that said, this is what we are going to do...

  • If you would like your deposit refunded at this time, you can email info@vihl.net.  Refunds will be processed within 5-10 business days.  Unfortunately, due to processing fees that were applied by our registration system, there will be a hold back based on the following chart.
    • $500 refund - $20 charge
    • $600 - $1000 refund - $40 charge
    • $1200 - $1700 refund - $60 charge
    • $1800 - $2200 refund - $80 charge
    • $2200 - $2700 refund - $100 charge
    • $2800 - $3200 refund - $120 charge
    • $3300 - $3600 refund - $140 charge
    • $3700 - $4000 refund - $155 charge
  • We want to avoid refunds and then re-charges as much as possible though, as then the credit card company is the only winner.   Therefore, if you rollforward at least $500, we will apply the following discounts for the next season you play
    • $500 rollforward - $50 discount
    • $1500 follforward - $100 discount
    • $2500 rollforward - $150 discount
    • full $3900 rollforward - $250 discount
  • In addition, rollforward at least $1000 and we will reimburse the full amount of any holdback charge next season as well.  
  • Examples:
    • You had a $1000 deposit, you decide to refund $500 and rollforward $500 - there will be $20 holdback charge due to the $500 refund.  You will also get an additional $50 discount next season since you rolledforward at least $500.  
    • You had a $1500 deposit, you decide to refund $500 and rollforward $1000 - there will be $20 holdback charge due to the $500 refund but that will be refunded to you the next season you play since you rolledforward at least $1000.  You will also get an additional $50 discount next season since you rolledforward at least $500.
    • You paid in $3948 in full, you decide to refund $2448 and rollforward $1500 - there will be $100 holdback charge due to the $2448 refund but that will be refunded to you the next season you play since you rolledforward at least $1000.  You will also get an additional $100 discount next season since you rolledforward at least $1500.

Let us know if you have any questions.  If you are unsure about your own situation, you can also book a call with us to go over things.  If we don't hear from you, we will just assume that you are rolling forward your deposit.  


Hopefully we will be back playing hockey soon though and we will let you know as soon as we have any updates about play in July or August.  


Thanks and stay safe!


MAY 25 UPDATE

Hope everyone is doing well.  Good to see things opening up again!

Sorry for the delay, but we have been waiting to see what the plans are for the reopening of community centres.  We have a meeting with the city of Vancouver next week so will have another update shortly after that.  At that time, we will either lay out a plan for cancelling the season along with a refund/credit procedure or a plan to play some sort of reduced season/tournament.  

We hope everyone and their families have been staying safe and healthy during this time.  Look forward to a final update from us next week!


Thanks, 


MARCH 22 UPDATE

Hello VIHL community, 

Hope everyone has been staying healthy and safe so far during this tough time.  Just wanted to update you on a few things since we have been getting a lot of messages…

Firstly, rest assured that we will always keep the community’s safety and well-being in mind and would never risk anyone’s health.  Considering the high health risk levels at the moment, we will not be starting up anything until there is minimal risk to all participants.

Secondly, as most of you know, the community centres have closed their doors for the foreseeable future so this just puts the league in a wait and hold position for the next month or so.  We obviously can’t proceed until the cities are allowed to open up their facilities again.

At this point, there is still time to see how things play out over the next 1-2 months before deciding whether to cancel the season.  As mentioned before, we can still consider playing a shortened season as long as we are in a position to do so.  For now, everything is postponed or cancelled until at least May.  

We would like to keep all teams in this wait and hold scenario for the time being.  However, if any teams need to reduce their deposit down to $500, we can do that for you (there is no need to pay more money at this time).  Please just send us an email.  However, if you are able to keep in at least the $1000 initial deposit, we would like to thank you for hanging in there, if and when the season starts (not sure yet, but maybe another draw for some prizes).  

Just to reiterate, we will not go ahead with the season until there is minimal risk to the players and everyone is comfortable playing. If at some point we decide to cancel the season, we can move forward with issuing full refunds.  We should know more in the next month or so.  If we are able to move ahead, we will just reschedule a team rep meeting at that time.

Again, we hope for the best for you and your families and I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.  You can email us if you have any questions.  

Thanks,


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MARCH 12 UPDATE


As I am sure everyone is aware, the Coronavirus has recently surfaced that is affecting sports organizations in B.C.  League management are taking the risks very seriously and are continually tracking the situation.  With the current threat level and cases of exposure, we are still not sure how the upcoming summer season will be affected but we will continue to monitor it as we go forward.

With a regular registration date of March 30th and the season still being weeks away, we will have the opportunity to observe and make decisions that best serve our roller hockey community.  We will take every precaution necessary to make sure that the players and staff are protected.  If the situation significantly changes we can look at different options such as issuing refunds or delaying the start and having a shortend season.  At this point, we are still looking forward to the upcoming season.  If you have any questions or concerns please email us.