Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
It is looking like the Prince Albert Youth Soccer Association is going to have to resort to Plan B.
With a start date for the outdoor soccer season just over a week away, Mother Nature has decided that that is too soon resulting in alternative plans to be set in motion in order to complete a full regular schedule of games.
“It doesn’t look promising for May 1,” says PAYSA technical director Dragan Ivkovic. “We have a Plan B and that is we will have to make up games by using (at least) one Saturday.”
More than 1,000 players have registered for the outdoor soccer season, which Ivkovic says is about the same as last year and comes on the heels of a record-setting indoor campaign that maxed out at 904 participants. The players are divided into age groups ranging from U5 to U19 with about 200 of them branching off into the Celtic program, which features boys and girls teams that compete in the Premier Soccer League.
Coincidentally, Ivkovic says the upcoming World Cup of Soccer has had little or no bearing on registration numbers.
“More kids might become interested (in soccer) after (the World Cup),” says Ivkovic. “It is usually after; not at the moment.”
Regular-season games for all recreation teams run until the end of June with PAYSA hosting a U9 and U11 tournament on June 20-21. There are no provincial playdowns at the recreational level, but the Celtic teams will all be competing at various tournaments and seeking provincial glory throughout the summer.
“We’re slowly getting ready, but we need better weather to get outside,” says Ivkovic.
The delay in starting the season might provide interested players with more time to consider joining a league and if that is the case Ivkovic says there is still room albeit limited. Anyone thinking of taking up the sport can register in-person at the PAYSA office located in the Alfred Jenkins Field House.
The cost is $350 and for that each participant receives a sweater, socks, shorts and soccer ball. All teams are guaranteed a minimum of 14 games.
Ivkovic says Prince Albert is fortunate to have some of the best soccer pitches in the province and he especially wants to thank both the Sask. Rivers School Division and Carlton Comprehensive High School leadership team for allowing the PAYSA to utilize the Max Clunie Field in Prime Ministers’ Park.
Hopefully it won’t be much longer for the players to get outdoors and enjoy the world’s most popular team game. Mother Nature, obviously is going to have a lot to say about that.
