Absent of the smell of freshly cut grass, or gorging on a fresh orange slice after a hard fought game, the West Coast Auto Group Football Club has found a way for its members to continue playing soccer.
Like many organizations, groups, and businesses in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, the West Coast FC has come up with a creative way to serve its members, but in a virtual fashion.
A few weeks ago, the organization hosted an online soccer tournament playing FIFA 19 on the PlayStation 4. Following the success of the tournament, the club is planning another one on Xbox, scheduled to take place May 1.
Participants sign up with a link on the club’s social media accounts and are provided with an access code for the Battlefly website. After players are matched with their opponent, it’s their duty to report the game scores on the Battlefly website.
With the support of sponsors, prizes are being awarded and mailed to the top competitors. The club is looking for more participants to join the next tournament.
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West Coast FC operations manager Shauna Williams said the tournament can allow up to 40 participants.
“We’re not charging anything for people to participate,” Williams said, adding that the tournament is open to everyone as long as they’re 13 years or older and have an Xbox. “It was more about creating an opportunity for the kids to engage in a different way, playing soccer online instead of outside.”
Williams said they’ve received a positive response from its members, and even had requests from people to join the tournament from Ireland and Dallas. However, she said, the tournament will be limited to Canadians to prevent potential issues with latency.
“In the end, we had the winner provide us with video clips of some of his shots he made during his competition. We put a highlight reel together and shared that on our YouTube page,” she said.
People interested in joining the tournament are requested to fill out a Google forum. Once approved, the participant will receive details on how to proceed with the Battlefly website.
Damoun Roshenas finished first in the most recent tournament, with Owen Jaggers and Kenyon Clay finishing second and third, respectively.
