While the indoor winter soccer season is on hold, the Quesnel Youth Soccer Association (QYSA) has begun planning for their spring season.
All soccer aside from tiny tots (U3-U4) and rep teams have stopped at the Quesnel indoor soccer facility, but registration for the outdoor spring sessions will begin on Friday, Jan. 15. Soccer activities were put on hold after new provincial rules prevented games and gathering for events.
READ MORE: New sport rules give out red cards to Quesnel leagues and clubs
The facility co-ordinator, Oliver Hitch, said he’ll be taking lessons from the end of the outdoor season in the summer on how to effectively run a season during a pandemic.
“It makes it more comfortable for the club and the coaches to have those resources as well,” he said. “Session plans are more out there compared to when we were doing it in the summer, when it was brand new.”
No contact is allowed between players during soccer right now, with players expected to maintain a 3 m distance while practising, although those rules could change by the time April rolls around.
“If we can’t do contact, we have everything we need to do soccer however the province says we have to,” Hitch said.
Hitch said the club was prepared for a change in COVID-19 rules.
“In the back of our heads we knew [cancellation] might happen,” he said. “When we were planning it in October, everything was going well, but in late November it went back, and we started planning for it to not run.”
Hitch, like other coaches across Canada, is looking for positives during the pandemic, getting players to focus on skill development.
“I think it’s a case of [getting players] touching the ball as much as possible,” he said. “Just have as much fun as you can, not try and take it too seriously, because it’s escapism as well.”
The QYSA is running a fundraising raffle, with $3,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. Tickets are $10, with the draw set for June 19. Only 2,000 tickets will be printed, with people entering by emailing qysams@gmail.com.
The spring season can start as early as the end of April, as long as the snow is off the ground.
Early bird registration for Quesnel Youth Soccer Association programs ends on Feb. 15.
READ MORE: Quesnel youth soccer tackling COVID-19 challenges
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com
@GimliJetsMan
cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com
