Team Owners and Coaches are working hard to finalize a start date for this coming VIJHL season. It could be as early as the 3rd or 4th week of September.
Once all COVID-19 restrictions determined by both viaSport and BC Hockey/Hockey Canada have been applied, this season won’t look like a usual season.
Every facility being used in the League has different protocols and their own restrictions to work with. Fans may or may not be welcome to attend a game – if yes, usually at a reduced number. But all games will be live streamed on HockeyTV.
The only way that a team can play in the VIJHL at this time is if the team becomes part of a “COHORT” which is just a new word for a group of teams. This Cohort cannot be comprised of more than 4 teams. Once you are a member of a Cohort, you cannot play any teams outside that Cohort unless your whole team goes into quarantine. Even if a single player wanted to leave his team in a Cohort and go play with a team in a different Cohort – that player would have to self-quarantine for 14 days before he can join that new team.
As the VIJHL is comprised of 9 teams, it has been a struggle to determine what the Cohort groupings should look like. It is the hope of the League that we can announce a confirmed start date and a limited schedule for only the first 4 – 5 weeks of the season within the next 2 weeks.
The schedule will be a limited version at this time as we hope to have the capability of rearranging the Cohort groupings after this period and as always – things could change and there maybe new restrictions to adhere to.
Watch for the VIJHL 2020-21 Schedule to be published in the coming weeks!!
REMINDER: The VIJHL website is under construction and will have changes coming to it over the next week or so.
