Soccer is a popular sport for children and youth in the Battlefords community each year. (Submitted photo/Kat Huxley)

By Martin Martinson

Registration now open

Local soccer programs looking forward to season ahead

Mar 15, 2021 | 3:09 PM

Registration for the soccer season is now open, for both Battlefords Youth Soccer, as well as competitive soccer with Battlefords United FC (BUFC).

Soccer is offered for children and youth of all ages in the community, from the U5, to U19 age groups.

Last year, the soccer season took place with an emphasis on strictly skill building and skill development through practices, as the teams were unable to play actual league games due to COVID-19 restrictions.

However, with the 2021 season still a couple of months away, head coach and competitive co-coordinator with BUFC, Kat Huxley said they remain hopeful this year they’ll be able to return to game play and a real season schedule.

“We’re very hopeful that with the number of people getting vaccinations and the numbers [decreasing] and everything, we’ll be able to play league games in the community,” she said.

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“Our registration is open as it normally would be with the hope that everything will be like a regular league, and then based on where we are with COVID-19 restrictions, we’ll decide how we are going to facilitate our league this year for the safety of everyone,” she added.

Following an extended layoff from the end of the indoor season, which wrapped up in October, the local youth soccer organization began hosting a weekly skills camp this month limited to groups of eight players, with social distancing standards in place. The skills camps have been held each of the last two weekends, with two more Saturday sessions to go this month, prior to the start of the season.

Huxley said the local soccer program is just happy to be able to provide an outlet for children and youth in the community to play soccer again this year, for all the benefits that come along with the game.

“It’s super important for kids to get out and play and just to be outside,” she said. “With the COVID restrictions impacting kids in all aspects of their life from school to home, giving them some form of normalcy and something that is athletic and good for their mental health is important.

“We just miss seeing how happy kids are when they’re playing the sport, and how happy parents are watching their kids play.”

The soccer season will begin the first week of May, and run to the end of June. For more information, or to register today, head to the Battlefords Youth Soccer website.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1