COCHRANE— Cochrane Minor Soccer’s season is set to kick off on the heels of a “Return to Play” announcement from the Alberta Government.
As of Wednesday (July 1), the Alberta Government announced a “Return to Play” plan for sports organizations in the province.
Under the new guidelines, sports cohorts are allowed inter-community play with teams from the same league.
Many of the other restrictions remain in place— Members are allowed to be part of only one sport cohort, cohorts must be limited to 50 individuals including coaches and support staff, and certain social distancing and hygiene measures will still be in place.
However, with the return to play announcement, teams are allowed to at least compete in mini-leagues.
The mini-leagues are a way for teams to engage in sport in close proximity of others, while still mitigating the risk of widespread transmission.
The mini-leagues can have multiple teams within them, but similar to the cohorts themselves must be limited to 50 people, and it is suggested that games only occur within the same geographical region.
Using the video-conferencing app ZOOM Cochrane Minor Soccer held an online meeting Thursday (July 2), to discuss and detail some of the changes that will take place this season.
While most of the actual play remains the same, they do have to be very diligent in tracking participation, for contact tracing purposes in case of transmission said Rhonda Carr, Tiered League Play Coordinator with Cochrane Minor Soccer.
Carr said in a typical year, the club would have roughly 400 registrants, but this year they had about 100 people sign up to play after a 10-day registration period.
After the registrations period they have seen this year, Carr said there were no worries about space restrictions.
“If we get 50 kids, we’ll probably split them up into two groups of 25 anyways, because it’s easier and more fun to manage that way,” she said.
There will be games played this season, and possibly even tournaments, but with the restrictions in place and cohorts having to stay primarily within their leagues, the season will not be focused on rankings and standings, Carr said.
“It will be kind of nice to take a break from the pressure of evaluations and teams and being a slave to the schedule of the league and just have a fun soccer season with your friends, kick around, play,” she said. “That’s what we’re really hoping the season will be.”
The Alberta Government has set July 15 as a tentative date for the lifting of more restrictions with regards to sports leagues in the province.
Carr said that at the end of July Calgary Minor Soccer typically hosts the Calgary Cup, which is a fairly large tournament for the minor soccer community. She said that although the event isn’t confirmed yet, she’s hopeful that it will happen.
Although registration for Cochrane Minor Soccer closed on Friday (July 3), Carr said that late registrants will be accepted for the next few weeks. She asked that any late applications be sent to [email protected]. Cochrane Minor Soccer's season officially begins Monday (July 6). For a full list of COVID-19 regulations and an FAQ, visit Cochrane Minor Soccer's website, 932kick.com.
