Chilliwack FC is hoping spring soccer goes much better than the just-concluded fall season that was almost completely decimated by COVID.
CFC has two spring offerings this year.
According to an update posted March 14 at chilliwackfc.com, Chilliwack Ford Spring Soccer is targetting April 12 for a start date, just one week later than it would normally begin.
CFC technical director Glenn Wilson suggested they may not be able to play games until closer to late April/early May, but according to the update, CFC “will execute something for the kids as we await the green light for games.”
The program is open to youth from the U4 to U18 age groups.
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“In the past we’ve always registered between 1,000 and 1,200 players for that program,” Wilson noted. “So it’ll be interesting to see, after all that’s happened the last few months, how many we’ll get out there running around the field.”
When/if games start, they’ll be playing in cohort groups of four teams.
This is what the health orders in the fall allowed for so this is how we’re approaching the season,” the web update outlined. “Game formats may be modified to accommodate the cohorts of four and the number of registrations in each age group.”
Chilliwack FC hopes parents will be allowed into Exhibition Field to watch their children, but that would require a relaxing of provincial health orders. Parents weren’t allowed to watch for almost the entire fall season, though there ended up being very few games to view.
Meanwhile, CFC will have several teams competing in Cascadia League play for the first time this spring.
A more competitive offering geared towards player development, CFC is fielding five teams on the girls side and five on the boys side, ranging from U9 to U15.
“The teams that enter that league play a nine game season,” Wilson said. “It normally starts at the beginning of April, but the intent this year is to schedule the start for the beginning of May. The idea is that by that time, we should be clear to play games. We may still be playing in cohorts, but the expecation is that will be playing games.”
