• Any decision to close Kincardine sport fields due to wet conditions is made by the Municipality of Kincardine no later than 3:00 pm.
  • The MOK will post to their website and/or Facebook page
  • The MOK may, if possible, email their user group contacts with the information.  The Club would then pass on that communication if/when possible based on the availability of our board volunteers.
• In some cases, Ontario Soccer, EMSA or LSL will issue cancellation of practice or games that the Club will flow down to our teams through the coaches and the Club's various communication vehicles around 3:00-4:00pm.
• Kincardine and District Minor Soccer Club would notify all coaches via email or SportsEngine app as closely to this time as possible and Coaches in turn would inform their players.  
  • The Club may also post a message to the Club's website,  our official Facebook page and/or email the Parents or Guardians setup as the account email in a player's SportsEngine profile if possible.
• Out of Town play
  • Coaches should contact their opposing coach for that night and determine the status of games in that area.

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 below information, the safety of everyone shall be greatly increased. Ultimately, the referee has the final say over delaying or restarting a match due to weather at the field. 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.

This policy provides direction to govern when and how match competitions will proceed under specific weather conditions. It has been developed keeping in mind Environment Canada’s definition and recommendations for Extreme Heat, as well as Canada Soccer’s Lightning Safety/ Severe Weather policy and now inclusive of the Air Quality Health Index.

EXTREME HEAT

Where the air temperatures reach the following thresholds one hour prior to the club activities the Club is advised to use the following guidelines:

• Temperature of 32C or lower. All club activities may proceed as normal.

• Temperature of between 32C and 38C. All club activity may proceed with additional water breaks. For matches it is up to the discretion of the referee and/or coaches to provide more than one 2 minutes water breaks per half

• Temperature of 38C or higher. The district association, league and/or club may cancel all outdoor club activity.

RAIN, LIGHTNING AND THUNDER

• Matches for any age group are not cancelled due to just rain (unless directed by Municipality of Kincardine due to field closure). Parental discretion should be used to determine participation for their player(s).

  • Weather conditions can change and unless the forecast is indicating continued conditions, it is best to get in touch with your coach or show up at the field to see if the game will be played.

• In the event of lightning and /or thunder Kincardine and District Minor Soccer Club adheres to the Canada Soccer Lightning Safety/Severe Weather Policy.  At the first sign of lighting or thunder, the referee shall stop any game in progress whether it is raining or not.   Players, coaches, fans, parents, guardians, etc. should leave the fields immediately and take shelter in a safe location (your car, the building or under the pavilion). Activities must not resume until 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning. (When Thunder Roars Go Indoors!)

FIELD CLOSURES

The Municipality of Kincardine has the right to enforce field closures in advance if severe weather warnings dictate.

Field closures are decided by the Parks and Recreation department of the Municipality of Kincardine, not the Kincardine and District Minor Soccer Club.  

• Any decision to close sport fields due to wet conditions is made by the Municipality of Kincardine no later than 3:00 pm.
• Soccer would be cancelled in these instances.

If you can hear thunder, you can get hit by lightning. As soon as you hear thunder, 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.

Additional Information:

Please note the following recommendations from Environment Canada:

• To plan for a safe day, check the weather forecast first. If thunderstorms are forecast, avoid being outdoors at that time or make an alternate plan. Identify safe places and determine how long it will take you to reach them.
• Watch the skies for developing thunderstorms and listen for thunder. As soon as you hear thunder, quickly get to a safe location. If you can hear thunder, you are in danger of being hit by lightning. More people are struck before and after a thunderstorm than during one.
• Get to a safe place. A safe location is a fully enclosed building with wiring and plumbing. Sheds, picnic shelters, tents or covered porches do NOT protect you from lightning. If no sturdy building is close by, get into a metal-roofed vehicle and close all the windows.
• Do not handle electrical equipment, telephones or plumbing. These are all electrical conductors. Using a computer or wired video game system, taking a bath or touching a metal window frame all put you at risk of being struck by lightning. Use battery-operated appliances only.
• If caught outdoors far from shelter, stay away from tall objects. This includes trees, poles, wires, and fences. Take shelter in a low-lying area but be on the alert for possible flooding.

Be aware of how close lightning is occurring. Thunder always accompanies lightning, even though its audible range can be diminished due to background noise in the immediate environment and its distance from the observer.

When larger groups are involved, the time needed to properly evacuate an area increases. As time requirements change, the distance at which lightning is noted and considered a threat to move into the area must be increased.

Know where the closest “safe structure or location” is to the field or playing area and how long it takes to get to that safe structure or location. Safe structure or location is defined as:

Any building normally occupied or frequently used by people, i.e. a building with plumbing and/or electrical wiring that acts to electrically ground the structure. Avoid using shower facilities for safe shelter and do not use the showers or plumbing facilities during a thunderstorm.

In the absence of a sturdy, frequently inhabited building, any vehicle with a hard metal roof (not a convertible or golf cart) and rolled-up windows can provide a measure of safety. A vehicle is certainly better than remaining outdoors. It is not the rubber tires that make a vehicle a safe shelter, but the metal roof which dissipates the lightning strike around the vehicle. Do not touch the sides of any vehicle.

If no safe structure or location is within a reasonable distance, find a thick grove of small trees surrounded by taller trees or a dry ditch. Assume a crouched position on the ground with only the balls of the feet touching the ground, wrap your arms around your knees and lower your head. Minimize contact with the ground because lightning current often enters a victim through the ground rather than by a direct overhead strike. Minimize your body’s surface area and the ground! Do not lie flat! If unable to reach safe shelter, stay away from the tallest trees or objects such as light poles or flag poles, metal objects (such as fences or bleachers), individual trees, standing pools of water, and open fields. Avoid being the highest object in a field. Do not take shelter under a single, tall tree.

Avoid using the telephone, except in emergency situations. People have been struck by lightning while using a land-line phones, if the person and the antenna are located within a safe structure or location, and if all other precautions are followed.

When considering resumption of any athletics activity, wait at least thirty minutes after the last flash of lightning or sound of thunder before returning to the field.

First Aid for Lightning Victims

Prompt, aggressive CPR has been highly effective for the survival of victims of lightning strikes.

• Lightning victims do not carry an electrical charge and can be safely handled.
• Call for help. Victims may be suffering from burns or shock an should receive medical attention immediately. Call 9-1-1 or your local ambulance service.

• Give first aid. If breathing has stopped, administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Use an automatic external defibrillator if one is available.

For additional information the following websites are helpful:
Canadian Lightning Danger Map – Canada: http://weatheroffice.gc.ca/lightning/

Environment Canada will issue warnings on Air Quality Index (AQI) resulting from smoke or other air quality impacting factors.   

• The Club, Leagues, Districts and Associations monitor the status for the areas where games are played and communicate when action is mandated.
• Due to the vast geographical landscape in our area, the  air quality conditions will differ throughout our district.  Decisions are made by monitoring  local conditions and making programming decisions accordingly.
• If conditions change while present at the field (appearance of smoke) the match can be delayed, not commence, or be cancelled. Match Officials are asked to utilize water breaks where necessary. We advise all parties to proceed with common sense putting the health and safety of all participants first.
• The Club will follow the published directions from Environment Canada, Leagues and Associations and target to communicate no later than 3:00pm if the AQI is at a number where practices and games are not recommend.
• Each family should make the best decision for their player when deciding on practicing or playing of the AQI is not indicating a cancellation of outdoor activities.
  • Air Quality Ontario
  • Ontario Air Health Index (AQHI)
  • Environment Canada AQHI - Ontario Summary

Please utilize the Environment Canada Health Message: