Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
It took some work and a lot of patience, but the Prince Albert Youth Soccer Association has put the recreational portion of their outdoor schedule to bed for another season.
“I am very pleased with how the spring outdoor season went,” says PAYSA technical director Dragan Ivkovic. “We had approximately 1,040 house-league players and 210 Celtic competitive players with great participation and a high level of play.”
“Although poor weather delayed the start of the season we made up the missed games by booking additional field time on June 6, ensuring every team played the full schedule,” added Ivkovic. “It was a successful season and I am proud of the commitment shown by our players, coaches, volunteers and families.”
Year-end tournaments for the house leagues were completed at the end of June while the Celtic teams competing in the Prairie Soccer League are winding down their respective seasons.
The U13 Celtic girls finished second in their division and will face Eastside Barca in a quarter-final game on Saturday in Saskatoon while the U13 Celtic boys missed the playoffs after going 1-9-1 in regular-season play.
The Celtic program did not have enough players to field a team in the U15 girls division this year, but the U15 Celtic boys complete their regular schedule this weekend with games in Saskatoon against Forge FC on Saturday and Astra Academy on Sunday. The U15 Celtic boys enter the final weekend with a 5-5-2 record and are one point out of second spot, but they also only have a two-point cushion on their current fourth-place standing. Just the top four teams advance to the playoffs so they will need a strong weekend to guarantee they get some post-season action later in July.
It was a struggle for the U17 Celtic girls squad as they were winless this season and will not see any post-season action, but the U17 Celtic boys are also in a battle for a playoff berth going into the final weekend of the regular schedule as they will need a win in their game on Friday against FCR Bluestar and hope Astra College upsets Forge FC on Saturday for them to get into the top four and continue their chase for a league title.
“Considering the level of competition and the size of our community I believe our teams have performed well and met expectations,” notes Ivkovic. “There is always room for improvement, but we are proud of the effort and development our players have shown throughout the season. We will make a final evaluation once the season is complete.”
Exposure to the game and development of skills are key components of what PAYSA offers its players and this year the organization introduced a couple of new events to accomplish those goals.
During the recent outdoor campaign the first-ever McIntosh Northern Soccer Tournament for players in the U9 and U11 divisions was held and in August the Vancouver Whitecaps will be hosting a pair of development camps for players in all age classes. Ivkovic is thrilled with how the former went and is excited for what the latter will provide players to conclude the outdoor season.
“The McIntosh Northern Soccer Tournament attracted strong participation and everyone was excited to play on fields designed specifically for those age groups,” explains Ivkovic. “Overall the tournament was a great success with positive feedback from players, coaches and families. We look forward to making it an annual event.”
“The Whitecaps development camp is another opportunity for our young players to continue developing their skills through a high-level soccer program led by the Whitecaps coaches,” continued Ivkovic. “We encourage any young soccer player looking for additional soccer opportunities this summer to take part.”
The camps will run Aug. 10-14 with the U7 to U11 age groups taking to the fields at the Alfred Jenkins Field House in the mornings while the U12 to U16 age classes will have the run of the pitches in the afternoons. Registrations for the camps, which are open to boys and girls, can be done by going to the PAYSA website at www.pasoccer.ca.
Although it is only the beginning of July, Ivkovic says it is already time to start thinking about the fast-approaching indoor season. Ivkovic says registrations for the indoor campaign will start on Aug 6 through the PAYSA website and he urges everyone who is interested to register early as space is limited.
“We expect registration numbers to be close to last year, which was the highest turnout in PAYSA history,” states Ivkovic. “We are looking forward to another strong indoor season.”
While Ivkovic has been busy taking care of business with the local soccer scene he says he also has found time to follow the FIFA World Cup, which he says will only benefit the sport in Canada in the long run.
“I think the World Cup has been very well organized and has provided some outstanding soccer,” says Ivkovic. “I believe Team Canada performed well even though the loss to Morocco is disappointing.”
“I believe Canada’s performance, along with the excitement surrounding the tournament, will continue to grow the game and inspire more players, helping develop soccer at both the provincial and national levels.”
The Beautiful Game, as soccer was once referenced to by Brazilian legend Pele, continues to grow in popularity and from all accounts it is in good shape in Prince Albert, not just now but for the future as well.
