Youth soccer league deadline fast approaching; lack of registrants may mean cancelling play
By Michael Wirischagin
Parents expecting Saturday morning drop-in soccer this spring will be greatly disappointed if they don’t sign up by Feb.15. The newly formed Boundary Youth Soccer Association (BYSA) – the group running all youth soccer this year – wants all parents to know they must register soon. BYSA is quite concerned that they may not get enough children registered to be able to begin their first spring league. As of now the BYSA has roughly 50 registrants while 250 are needed for the league to be a go. President of BYSA Jeff Olsen said that one of the biggest obstacles that this newly formed association has faced is that parents of children who in the past have played Saturday morning drop-in soccer at Dick Bartlett Park have wrongly decided that if they miss the February deadline for the structured league that they can just fall back on playing on Saturdays. “This is not the case,” said Olsen. “We are Saturday morning drop-in soccer. It is no more. Saturday morning drop-in soccer has become this: the Boundary Youth Soccer Association; a more structured league. Saturday morning drop-in does not exist.” Olsen also wants to get the word out as to why they have chosen such an early registrations deadline date. “We had to choose such an early deadline for a few reasons. First, this league will be supplying jerseys and we need to know how many to order. They will take time,” explained Olsen. “We also have to arrange coaching clinics that the BYSA will be paying for. This will also take time. Further, we are looking at investing $15,000 into this program which is a lot of money. We are unwilling to invest that kind of money if we do not have the numbers to make it work. We will have to divide teams, book fields, etc. Everything takes time and therefore we need time.” BYSA inaugural spring league will run in the months of April, May and June 2011 and is for children aged four – 13. Registration is open for children that live in the whole of the Boundary Area – from Rock Creek to Christina Lake. BYSA is not your mom-and-pops soccer association either. They are a member of British Columbia Soccer Association and the Canadian Soccer Association. They also belong to FIFA- the Federation Internationale de Football Association.
To register or to find out more information about the league visit: boundaryyouthsoccer.com.
