Hi everyone,
Weather Update: Friday 27th May 2022
This is just a quick note to let you know that games are ON today. In general we play in the rain, unless it is torrential. One of the benefits for the artificial pitch is that it drains extremely well and does not become muddy or waterlogged.
If there is lightning in the vicinity during any session, the session will be suspended immediately for safety reasons and all players will be cleared from the field. Like most organisations we follow the 30/30 rule. In the event of lightning, play will not resume until 30 minutes have passed since the last lightning flash.
We always monitor the weather radar throughout the day for our evening children's and adult programs. As of right now, it looks as if we should avoid the storms, and it appears as if the rain may be gone around 5pm. The radar looks pretty clear right now for the duration of both sessions tonight. However, that is just a forecast, and the weather may well have changed by the time this evening rolls around
For kids registered in the Spring (May/June session)
This is just a quick reminder that Wee Copas, Li'l Sambas and Tangos age groups are all on this weekend as normal. The Sunday morning house league session is on as normal too.
Unfortunately the socks for the uniforms are still missing in transit and we won't have them this Saturday.
For participants registered for the Summer (July and August) session.
If you have registered for the July and August sessions, I have not allocated players to their requested timeslot yet. I am currently out of town for a week and will do that on my return. Everyone will be at their requested timeslot.
Have a great weekend everyone,
Chris and the L'il Sambas team.
Opening day is finally here for our spring soccer programs! We'll be getting underway at the field at Immaculata High School tonight.
Here are a few final notes about tonight as well as the information about uniforms, equipment and location that we had previously sent out.
Uniform Pickup: You can pick up your uniform at the field before your session tonight. You will be able to try the sizes against your little one to make sure you get the right size. The uniform consists of shirt, shorts and socks. Our supplier has let us know that one of the boxes of socks has gone missing in transit, and we may be short of some sizes of socks if it doesn't arrive today. If we don't have a specific size, we will get them to you next week.
A parent must be on the field with you kids at all times for the Wee Copas program. Other than those parents, we ask that all parents and spectators watch from OUTSIDE the fence. There is a grassy hill that provides a good spectating area.
Washrooms are available, they are inside the school and can be accessed from the doors opposite the gate at the middle of the field. Once inside the building they are to your right (down the stairs/ramp)
If you are continuing from the current session most of this will be familiar to you, and you can probably skip the remainder of this e-mail.
There is loads of free parking at the school. There are spaces immediately on your right-hand side as you turn into the school grounds and a large car park at the top of the small incline beside the field and two other huge lots behind the school,
You may not park or wait on the access road between the entrance and the main car park as this causes congestion and creates a safety issue by blocking the view of other drivers at a time when there are a lot of kids and parents coming in and out. Any parents continually infringing this will be asked to leave the program
The location is the field at Immaculata High School, 140 Main Street click here for map etc.
If you are driving the only access to the car parks is from Main Street (the entrance is next to the Subway sandwich shop). Please remember that Main Street has a well-used cycle lane that runs alongside it - please be careful as you enter or exit the school and do an extra shoulder check for cyclists. There is no vehicle access from the Echo Drive/canal side of the school, but you will be able to walk or cycle onto the campus from there.
If you already have your uniform from one of our earlier sessions, you are good to go.
If this is your first time in the program and you have purchased a uniform, the uniform consists of shirt, shorts and socks and you will be able to try the sizes against your child to get the best fit. We have a wide range of sizes available.
You should purchase shin-guards for your little ones if they don't have them already.
If they already have soccer cleats, or you want to purchase them, great. However, if they don't have them, they will be absolutely fine with their regular running shoes or tennis shoes too.
Other than that, all they need are the basic things you would need for any program: a water bottle (prefilled), sweater or sun hat and sunscreen as required.
We look forward to meeting you tonight,
The Li'l Sambas Team
We just wanted to confirm that the uniform pickup for the Spring Session of the Li'll Sambas Program would be before your first session this weekend, whether it is Friday, Saturday or Sunday that you have registered for.
You can pick up the uniform at the field at Immaculata, up to 40 minutes before the start of your session.
We had hoped to hold an early pickup session tomorrow, but there has been a delay in receiving the uniforms from our suppliers, so that will not be possible, unfortunately.
If you are not able to attend this week's session, you will be able to pick it up at your next session the following week.
The general information on uniforms that we sent out earlier this week has been copied below in case any of you missed it,
We look forward to meeting you this weekend,
Uniform
Equipment
You should purchase shin-guards for your little ones if they don't have them already. Shinguards will be mandatory for our Sunday house league programs.
Other than that, all they need are the basic things you would need for any program: water bottle (prefilled), sweater or sun hat and sunscreen as required.
We have opened registration for our Li'l Sambas Developmental Programs for Spring 2022 as well as our new Sunday House League Program.
We've just posted the Friday evening and Saturday morning developmental sessions (similar to those we had in summer and fall last year). These spring programs will run from May 6th to June 25th at Immaculata High School.
You can find the details and registration on the front page of the Li'l Sambas website.
Our second winter session (beginning in March) is also still open for registration.
We have also just added more "league" based programs for 6-11 year-olds this spring. These programs will be on Sunday mornings at Immaculata and they are online and open for registration now. These differ from our developmental programs. There is no coaching involved on Sundays (other than some on-field help and guidance from each team's coach), just a weekly 45-minute game against one of the other teams in the program.
Register for as few or as many nights as you like
We know kids' sports can sometimes be intense in Canada and that necessarily isn't the best fit for every parent. We are hoping to give you the opportunity to almost "build-your-own program" with a range of start times and options. For some kids a combination of the developmental program on a Friday with a league game on a Sunday might be the best fit, for some, it might be just a developmental session (or two), for some just a league session each week. As always multiple age groups are offered at the same time to make it as easy as possible for those of you with multiple children of different ages.
We are also hoping to be able to offer our first ever summer camps this year, more details will follow when we have ironed out a few additional details.
Yours,
Hello everyone,
I'm just sending out this reminder again to make sure everyone got the message that tomorrow's Li'l Sambas soccer has been postponed. uOttawa has closed the entire campus due to the police operation in the downtown area.
There is no soccer on Saturday 19th, we will be back to normal on Saturday, February 26th
Have a great family day weekend everyone,
Chris
We have received word from uOttawa that they will be closing the entire campus, including sports facilities from now until Tuesday due to issues with the trucker protest.
We have checked into the availability of the indoor turf facilities at Carleton U and the RA Centre but they are already in use.
Unfortunately, this means that we will have to cancel this Saturday's Li'l Sambas session (Saturday 19th). Many apologies for this, it comes only one week after we were able to get back on the field and another interruption to the kids' routines is very fustrating, We would like to apologise once again.
We are currently looking for alternatives to find a suitable location, date, and time to replace this week's session. If a realistic solution can't be found, we will of course issue a pro-rated refund for any sessions that we are unable to complete.
Thank you again for your patience,
Chris, Sanjeev and the Li'l Sambas Team
Chris and the Li'l Sambas Team
This is just a reminder for all of you in our Winter Session 1 Programs that this program restarts this Saturday at 9.00am and 9.45am at uOttawa's Lees Dome. Thank you for your patience during the latest shutdown.
The dates for the remaining six sessions in the current program are:
Here are a few reminders/FAQs that I have been asked over the past few days.
1. New proof of vaccine regulations are now in place. Anyone over the age of 12 MUST use the provincial QR code to provide proof of vaccination. The dome will no longer accept pdf or paper copies of vaccine proof, only the QR code.
You can download your enhanced proof with the QR code on the ontario.ca website: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/get-proof/
2. Masks must be worn to enter and exit the dome and on the sidelines. The children are not required to wear masks while they are playing,.
3. A parent is allowed to watch, but we do have capacity limits at the dome. Please only bring one spectator/parent with each child. We really appreciate your help with this.
4. We will have the uniforms available for pickup for anyone who has purchased the uniform but was not able to pick it up at the last session.
Next Session and Spring Registration
Registration is open and online for the next session (beginning March 26th). I am just working on posting the programs online for our outdoor spring session, and you should see them appear online over the next couple of days. I'll send another email to let everyone know when they are ready to go.
Now that we are back out of the shutdown, we have been able to finalise the start and end dates and prices for the next session of Li'l Sambas.
Firstly we wanted to make sure that everyone got yesterday's update that the current session will resume on SATURDAY FEBRUARY 12th (not this Saturday, next Saturday)
Registration for next session is now open and it will be a 6-session program, running for six weeks from March 26th to April 30th
The first half of the program will be held indoors at uOttawa's Lees Dome, with the second half outdoors at Immaculata High School.
You can find registration and details on the Li'l Sambas Website.
If you had already pre-registered using the "Invite" button, we are holding a space for you until Friday morning, regardless of whether or not any of the age groups/timeslots sell out before then. All you have to do is go onto the website, log in and complete the registration. We had originally planned for a 7-week indoor session costing $190, however, the session will now be 1 week shorter at 6-weeks. It will be indoors initially with the final couple of weeks outdoors, and it will cost $50 less - $140.
Now that we know when we can get back on the field, we have been able to map out the program for the outdoor season too. We will post the details and registration sometime next week, once we finalise a few more details. For now we can confirm that the remainder of the year will look like this:
We look forward to seeing you all back on the field,
The Li'l Sambas Team.
Happy New Year!
Firstly, this is a reminder that there is no session of Li'l Sambas tomorrow (Saturday 8th January). Or for the remainder of January.
This is also a reminder that uOttawa has closed its athletics facilities (including the dome) until the 31st of JANUARY. Unfortunately, that means that, as it stands, the program is on hold until Saturday, February 5th. This date could change if the Provincial shutdown is extended. As of right now, we will complete the 8 weeks of the program. It will now resume on Feb 5th and run until March 12th.
We fully intend to complete the program. If for any reason we can't, there will be a prorated refund for any weeks that we are not able to offer.
We have been getting a number of questions on when the NEXT session will be open for registration.
It depends on when the domes reopen and we can complete the first session. We have posted the tentative details for the next indoor session. We don't think it's fair to ask for payment until we can clarify the details of dates times and cost, but we have opened registration online to allow you to reserve your space (without obligation or payment required).
The current details for all age groups for the second winter season are tentative. Once the first session restarts, we will be able to confirm the start and end dates, number of sessions and price for the late winter/early spring program. There is the possibility that the session may become an indoor/outdoor session (the first 2/3rd of the program indoors and then the last few dates outdoors) depending on the start date of the program. The cost of the program may come down too, depending on whether it is partly outdoor, the number of sessions, and the dome capacity when it reopens.
How to reserve your place
You can reserve your place by clicking on the "Invite Only" button for the program of your choice.
https://ottawa.lilsambassoccer.com/home
YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED AT THIS TIME, it will just reserve your space in the program. Once we can confirm the details of the program, you will receive an e-mail confirming the details and you will have 48 hours to decide if you want to go ahead with registering and make the payment. If you decide not to go ahead, the space will simply go to the next person on the waitlist.
Take care, everyone,
Firstly, this is a reminder that there is no session of Li'l Sambas tomorrow (Saturday 18th December).
We also received word today that uOttawa will close their athletics facilities (including the dome) from tonight at midnight until the 31st of JANUARY. Unfortunately, that means that, as it stands, the program is on hold until Saturday, February 5th.
As of right now, we will complete the 8 weeks of the program. It will now resume on Feb 5th and run until March 12th. This may change once we get an update on whether the province introduces other measures or closures, whether or not other facilities close down and are available and if this shut down is extended or shortened.
We'll send another update after Christmas, once we have been able to get some more information and clarification,
Happy Holidays,
We hope you have enjoyed the first two sessions of the program.
We have had to make some changes to one of the remaining six sessions of the program.
This is no soccer this Saturday (Dec 18th).
We will have to postpone this week's soccer session (December 18th) until the new year. Rather than having 3 sessions before the holidays (Dec 4th-18th) and 5 sessions after (January 8th to February 5th), the season will now run 1 week longer and there will be 6 sessions after the holidays (January 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th and February 5th & 12th).
Having spoken to a number of you at the weekend, it seems that many of you were going to miss this Saturday's session due to holiday plans, so hopefully, this works out better for many of you.
Uniform Pickup - most of you have already picked up your uniform this week. For those of you who have not picked it up, the uniforms will be available at our next session in the new year. The full range of sizes in shirts, socks and shorts are still available.
Happy Holidays, we look forward to seeing you back on the field in the new year,
p.s. We are just posting the programs for the second indoor session (February 19th to April 9th) you should see them appear online over the next day or two. We will send out an email to everyone to let them know when the program is open for registration. We will have the same age groups available at the same time, day, and location during the winter sessions.
This is an update to the e-mail we sent out over the weekend: there are a couple of you who registered over the past few days that may not have seen the original e-mail. The full text of the e-mal is copied below.
This is just an update regarding the uniform pickup. I will still send another update later today.
Uniform pickup will be at uOttawa Lees Dome, Friday December 3rd, between 6.15pm and 8pm.
For those of you who are new to the program and are picking up a uniform, you can drop into the uOttawa Lees Dome any time between 6.15pm and 8pm on Friday to collect the uniform for your boy or girl. It doesn't matter what time you pop by, we should have a good supply of uniforms in each size.
If you already played with the Li'l Sambas Program and have the uniform, you do not need to attend that evening.
If you are unable to pickup your uniform on that evening, you will be able to pickup your uniform after your son or daughter's first session.
See you all at the weekend, I will send another update e-mail before the weekend,
You are receiving this e-mail because you are registered for the winter (indoor) session of our Li'l Sambas soccer programs.
If you are new to the program: welcome! This will be the first of two emails giving you the details of what to do, where to go, what you need etc for this Saturday. This email will cover some of the basics: start date and time, location, uniform, equipment and vaccine information. The second email will provide some more detail on entry and exit procedure, format etc.
If you are continuing from the spring/summer session some of this will be familiar to you, but it is a new venue, so you may need to familiarise yourself with the new location.
All programs will start this Saturday: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4th. Everyone has registered for either the 9.00am session or the 9.45am session. Each session is 45 minutes long.
Our 8-week early-winter session begins on December 4th, 11th, and 18th, takes a two-week break over Christmas and continues on through January 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th and finishes up on February 5th. A second winter session will run from February to April and registration for that session will open later in December.
The sessions will be on the indoor turf field at the University of Ottawa Lees Dome on the Lees Campus of Ottawa U.
The entrance to the Lees Campus is directly opposite the LEES O-train Station on Lees Avenue. Once you turn onto the campus, follow the road. Parking Lot G3 is where you should park and is on your left just after you enter campus. That is the parking for the dome and the dome itself is straight ahead on the same road.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gee-Gees+Field/@45.4160667,-75.6674827,483m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xb2472a8329738a37!8m2!3d45.4160667!4d-75.665294
Note: The University of Ottawa has two campuses and two turf fields. Make sure you are heading for the Lees Dome or GeeGees Field on the LEES Campus, not Matt Anthony Field on the MAIN Campus.
If this is your first time in the program and you have purchased a uniform, we will organise a pickup date for the uniform on Thursday or Friday of this week. WE WILL CONFIRM THE TIME IN AN EMAIL OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.
The uniform consists of shirt, shorts and socks and you will be able to try the sizes against your child to get the best fit. We have a wide range of sizes available.
Other than that, all they need are the basic things you would need for any program: water bottle (prefilled, there may not be access to a convenient water source and the washrooms are in the building opposite the dome), mask (a mask will not be required while playing), sweater if required. The dome is heated, but some kids may still find it a little chilly, so bring a sweater just in case.
As an indoor venue, all parents, staff and coaches must show proof of full vaccination (and photographic ID) to enter the dome. Parents and children must wear a mask to enter the dome, but not while participating. This is in accordance with the Provincial guidelines for indoor sports. If anyone is not able to provide proof of vaccination or a valid exemption, they will not be allowed to enter the dome. This is not something that is negotiable or can be ignored. If for any reason you are not able to or do not wish to comply with these regulations, drop us an e-mail over the next 48 hours and we will issue a refund for the program.
We'll send another e-mail with further details in the next couple of days.
We look forward to meeting you all later this week,
We have had a fantastic response to our first-ever winter programs, although we are still over a month away from the dome going up, there has been an enthusiastic uptake for all of the programs and there are less than 10 spaces left in each of them.
The Tangos session at 9am is almost sold out and we have added a Saturday 9.45am session for the Tangos (Grades 3,4,5) age group. As always, if you had already registered at 9am, but this time suits you better, drop us an email and we will swap your registration(s) over to the new time.
You can find registration and full details at:
Please make sure that you have reviewed the following information before deciding whether or not to register:
Map to the uOttawa Lees Dome - which is about 5 minutes drive or 15 minutes walk from the field at Immaculata.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/45.4098434,-75.6784511/Gee-Gees+Field,+200+Lees+Ave,+Ottawa,+ON+K1S+5S9/@45.4132819,-75.6768915,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x4cce059c2e9809f3:0xb2472a8329738a37!2m2!1d-75.665294!2d45.4160667!3e0
This is just a quick reminder that practices are still on tonight and tomorrow unless we have thunder and lightning.
The forecast is for cloudy with showers this evening, and I've just had a look at the weather radar and it looks like a rain cloud might be passing through right around the 6pm session, so I thought I'd remind you all that we are not sticklers for uniforms, etc for the kids. Dress them in whatever they feel comfortable and want to play in. I'm sure some of them might want to wear long pants or a sweater or light rain jackets if it is cold or wet in any of the last few sessions. That is absolutely fine.
I've had a couple of e-mails from people double-checking on the end date, and just to confirm, the remaining sessions are:
We still don't have a definitive update on whether or not we will be able to hold an indoor program through the winter. We still hope to, but are still awaiting more information from the indoor fields and facilities about capacities and availability at the times we would need.
Sorry, we don't have anything more definitive than that, but hopefully, we will be able to let you know by next weekend,
Have a great weekend,
We had a couple of calls from people asking if the program was running tonight and tomorrow, so I just thought I'd send out a quick note to make sure that everyone knew that it is on tonight (Sept 3rd) and tomorrow (Sept 4th).
If you have not picked up your uniform yet and it is your first session tonight, you can get it at the field from about 30 mins before the program starts.
And if any of you didn't receive the welcome e-mails, you can find the information below.
Fall/Winter Indoor Season
I've had a few questions about indoor seasons through the winter. We are planning to run through the winter if a suitable venue can be found, but things are a little up in the air with domes and gyms etc at the moment, so bear with us. As soon as we have something concrete one way or the other, we will send an email out to let everyone know, and have a pre-sale for our current participants if we have a suitable venue.
Just in case anyone missed it, or registered after we sent it, here is the link to the welcome e-mail we sent out earlier this week, along with some additional information on where to go at the field.
https://ottawa.lilsambassoccer.com/home_news/lil-sambas-fall-session-start-date-uniform-and-equipment/429
What will happen when you arrive for your first session.
If you are driving the only access to the car parks is from Main Street (the entrance is next to the Subway sandwich shop). Please remember that Main Street has a well-used cycle lane that runs alongside it - please be careful as you enter or exit the school and do an extra shoulder check for cyclists). There is no vehicle access from the Echo Drive/canal side of the school, but you will be able to walk or cycle onto the campus from there.
You may not park or wait on the access road between the entrance and the main car park as this causes congestion and creates a safety issue by blocking the view of other drivers at a time when there are a lot of kids and parents coming in and out. Any parents continually infringing this will be asked to leave the program.
All participants will be entering via the gate on the Main Street end of the field. After the practice, children will be exiting by the gate in the middle of the field at the school side. This is important to maintain separation between the participants leaving from one hour and those arriving for the next. We are still being cautious with COVID awareness and to reduce the number of children entering and exiting in the same place at the same time.
We will allow the next group of players onto the field when the previous group has left. Parents should make their way to the middle gate as the sessions end to collect their children.
We appreciate your patience while waiting and being prompt to exit the field area with your children to allow the next group of participants to start.
We would also ask parents to observe social distancing while waiting to enter and exit and while spectating.
We look forward to meeting you all this weekend,
You are receiving this e-mail because you are registered for the fall session of our Li'l Sambas soccer programs.
If you are new to the program: welcome! If you are continuing from the spring/summer session that just finished, you can probably skip the rest of this e-mail as the uniform and equipment information is the same as last session.
The fall programs will start on FRIDAY AUGUST 27th, and SATURDAY AUGUST 28th at their respective times.
The two most common questions we've been getting over the past few days have been about when you will receive the uniform and what equipment do they need/would we recommend.
You will be able to pick up your uniform at the field, half an hour before your first session. Just come to Main Street entrance to the field and we will give you your uniform.
The uniform consists of shirt, shorts and socks and you will be able to try the sizes against your child to get the best fit.
If you have not already purchased the uniform package for your child at the time of registration, you can add it by selecting "shirt, shorts and socks" in the drop-down menu on the registration page. If you took part in the spring/summer session and already have a uniform, you do not need to purchase another one, you can use the same uniform.
Other than that, all they need are the basic things you would need for any program: water bottle (prefilled, we do not have access to a water source or bathrooms while the school building is off-limits), mask (a mask will not be required while playing), sunscreen, sun hat or sweater if required for the weather.
This is a little bit more information on what will happen when you arrive tonight and tomorrow for our first session.
We will allow the next group of players onto the field when the previous group has left. Parents should make their way to the middle gate as the sessions end to collect their child.
We appreciate your patience while waiting and being prompt to exit the field area with you children to allow the next group of participants to start.
We are asking parents and kids to wear masks as they enter and exit the field, and as they wait to enter before their session. Masks will NOT be required for children while participating.
We will send a second email today with information that is specific for each program detailing where your child goes once they enter the field.
We look forward to finally meeting you all this weekend,
You are receiving this email because you are registered for the following program:
Tangos
If you ever need to check what program and date and time you are registered for, log in to the website and click on "My Programs" in either of the top or side menus on the website (click on the yellow button with three lines to drop down the menu if you are on mobile)
Once you enter from the gate on the Main Street side, you will proceed to field 1 (the CLOSEST FIELD to the entrance gate).
Once you enter at the main gate, you can walk your child along the running track to field 1 and drop them off there with the coaches. You should then exit the field via the gates in the middle of the field next to the school. From there you can walk up the stairs and turn right and that takes you back to the car park.
Please do not bring any additional equipment or bags onto the field, other than your child's water bottle and sun hat (if required).
There is a grass bank on the outside of the fence which gives a nice view of the field. At this time we do not allow any non-participating spectators inside the field boundary.
As the session reaches its end, please make your way to the gate in the middle of the field beside the school
Once the session is finished, we will bring your child over to the gate in the middle of the field, beside the school. From there you can walk up the stairs and turn right and that takes you back to the car park.
Please depart the field in a timely manner to allow us to bring the next group of participants onto the field.
Please take great care entering and exiting the car park, as there are a lot of children and adults coming in and out.
We sent the following information about equipment and uniforms earlier this week:
https://ottawa.lilsambassoccer.com/home_news/uniform-pickup-option-tonight-at-immaculata/423
If you are picking up the uniform tonight, they will be available at the field entrance about 45 minutes onwards before your game. Chris will also be at the field from 4pm onwards on Friday, and if you swing by around then, you should be able to pick up your uniform.
We look forward to meeting you all tonight,
Li'l Sambas
Once you enter from the gate on the Main Street side, you will proceed to field 3 (the FURTHEST FIELD from the entrance gate).
Once you enter at the main gate, you can walk your child along the running track to field 3 and drop them off there with the coaches. You should then exit the field via the gates in the middle of the field next to the school.