Accomplish four things at once.
Have fun, get exercise, improve your skills and meet new friends.
It’s all possible and part of the experience offered by the Shuswap Women’s Recreational Soccer Association.
The outdoor soccer season starts on Thursday, April 26, and you’re invited.
“We want everyone to come out who is interested in playing a team sport that’s fun, gets you off the couch, is a great way to meet women and to make some friends,” says Edie Lowes, president of the association.
The league targets women who have played before, perhaps through a youth soccer club or high school – recreational-type players, she says.
“Competitiveness is all well and good, as long as it’s tempered with supporting other players.”
Skilled players are most welcome, she adds, as they can help teach the players who need development.
“We’re very welcoming and inclusive. We don’t care what your skill level is, we want you to come out and have fun,” emphasizes Lowes.
Having a women’s recreational soccer league is somewhat unique, because it means soccer players don’t have to wait to be invited to join an existing team – as can happen in other leagues.
“A person can sign up on their own and make 15 or 16 new friends,” explains Lowes. “Typically, you have to be invited or know somebody to get on a team that might be fun – whereas all our teams are fun.”
Each player is put in a pool and the league then creates teams based on soccer experience, fitness level and positions people might play. The teams are structured so there’s not any of what Lowes calls “empire building.”
“Our philosophy has been to stay away from that, to shake up the teams. Every team is different – sometimes you’re playing with friends, sometimes you’re playing against them.”
The league attempts to make sure the teams are evenly matched to ensure everyone gets a positive experience.
If you’d like to sign up or get more information, go to http://www.swrsa.net/ or email: soccer.info@gmail.com.
“We want mothers and daughters and neighbours and co-workers to come out together. There’s lots of team bonding and lots of laughs,” Lowes says.
