Kelowna Falcons

Season Cancelled

The Kelowna Falcons regretfully announce the cancellation of the 2021 summer season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the announcement from Dr. Bonnie Henry on Thursday.

Despite the promising news on BC’s vaccination rollout, restrictions will not be lifted in time for the Falcons to plan a successful season. Last week Dr. Henry stated that she expects that 25% of the province’s population should have their first dose of the vaccine by the end of April. However in the same breath she warns that we should not expect to get back to pre-pandemic life this spring. “There’s going to be very little change in the next two months,” says Dr. Henry.

For the Falcons, the next two months would be critical in the planning stages for a season, including bringing players in from the United States.

“The majority of the players in the West Coast League are from large NCAA programs in the United States, and we can’t yet estimate when the border will be open again,” says Falcons General Manager Mark Nonis. “With the health and safety of our fans, players, coaches, umpires and staff in mind, and despite the improvements noted by BC health officials, here in Kelowna we don’t anticipate a return to play until well into the summer. Although withdrawing from the schedule is a tough decision, we feel it’s the right one at this time, for both our players and our community.”

This is the second consecutive summer the Falcons are forced to cancel the season because of the pandemic. “This one hurts a bit more than last summer,” continues Nonis. “We were really hopeful that by now all teams and fans would be able to get back to the park, so yes this is a very disappointing day, but safety comes first. We would like to thank our fans and corporate partners that once again supported us for the upcoming summer.”

“Without Kelowna on the field in 2021, the WCL won’t feel quite complete,” said Commissioner Rob Neyer. “But there will be a little bit of the Falcons in every single game we play this summer, and we know they’ll come back stronger than ever in 2022.”

The Falcons Family hope that you and your family stay safe and look forward to the 2022 season and getting back on the field and in the community.

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