November 30, 2020
WUL community,
With 2021 just around the corner, I wanted to provide you with an update about what the WUL has been working on over the last eight months, and our focuses and priorities for the new year. I have some exciting updates to share and, given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, some thoughts on a safe return to play.
First, the league has used our time away from the field to refine our mission and goals for the league. That process has included restructuring our board of directors, rewriting our bylaws, and creating functional committees within the board, including a DEI committee that is meant to keep diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the forefront of the work that we are doing. We have also formalized a committee of representatives from each of our teams to ensure open channels of communication with our teams and our players.
I encourage you to visit our website to meet our new board members. They are a passionate and dedicated group of people that bring diverse institutional knowledge and conscientious perspectives that I believe will make this league successful.
In planning for our future, the safety of our athletes remains paramount and we will not return to play unless we can assure, at a minimum, that it will be as safe as possible for all of our players and staff to participate. With the recent progress toward a COVID-19 vaccine, we remain optimistic about returning to play sometime in 2021. But, while we will rely on the recommendations of the medical experts, we will consider our athletes’ mental health, and how to ensure they are given sufficient time to properly train and prepare. We are also acutely aware of the equity concerns regarding distribution and access that will undoubtedly follow the release of any vaccine.
Outside of navigating COVID-19, we are developing a roadmap that will enable the WUL to be sustainable and equitable for this upcoming season and beyond. We want to provide high quality entertainment for our fans and ensure that our athletes are highlighted and celebrated in the ways that they deserve. To that end, we are in the process of building a partnership with an equity consultant, are organizing more widespread outreach strategies, and are considering ways to be more intentionally inclusive of transgender and non-binary players.
It has been a long eight months away from the field but we are excited and hopeful that we will finally kick off the Western Ultimate League’s inaugural season in 2021. In the meantime, we wish all of our players, staff, fans, sponsors, and supporters a safe and happy holiday season.
Sincerely,
Felicia Yang
WUL Board President
