When outdoor sports restrictions were lifted in the province of Saskatchewan at the end of May, it allowed Prince Albert Minor Football to finish off their spring season with a bit of normalcy.
“We got a chance to take a step towards something that was close to what we traditionally offer at that time of the year,” president Taras Kachkowski said.
“For our senior players and our bantam players, we were able to get them into equipment and do contact drills. There wasn’t enough time for any games, but we were able to work on things, such as making sure that everyone was doing a safe tackling technique.
“With our pee wee players, we had them play flag football, which I know they certainly enjoyed. It was a different year for everyone and a big adjustment from what we are used to, but I think our spring season was successful given the circumstances.”
The return of team play also marked a sign of what’s planned for later this year, as Prince Albert Minor Football is preparing for a full-fledged return of their fall season after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the 2020 campaign being cancelled.
“I think for the older players, getting back into their equipment was a real teaser of how things are going back to normal,” Kachkowski said. “We’ve been telling everyone that if they enjoyed what they got to do in June, they are really going to like what things are like in the fall.”
“It’s been about a year-and-a-half since we were last playing games, so we’ve been a little out of sight and out of mind. We’re currently getting the word out that we’re going to be back this fall and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Registration for the fall season is already underway on the Prince Albert Minor Football website, with those signing up before Aug. 1 being eligible for a Saskatchewan Roughriders prize.
Equipment fitting and registration fee collection is slated to take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Crescent Heights Arena Field on Branion Drive on Sunday, Aug. 29.
Among the programs offered in the fall season are six-a-side Atom (Grade 4 and 5), nine-a-side Pee Wee (Grades 6 and 7) and 12-a-side Bantam (Grades 8 and 9), along with a free punt, pass and kick competition for boys and girls age seven to 14.
“Traditionally, the winners in the province have had a chance to go to the final Roughriders home game and receive their provincial plaques,” Kachkowski said. “We’re still waiting to see what the plans are for that this year, but we do plan to have our local tournament for the punt, pass and kick competition and hopefully we’ll see our winners have a chance to go farther in the event.”
While the atom program will be playing in-house, the Prince Albert River Riders pee wee and bantam teams are slated to return to the Saskatoon-based Kinsmen Football League.
“There’s teams from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Martensville that we play and Clavet joined the Kinsmen League this past season,” Kachkowski said.
“There’s a little driving involved but it’s a pretty fun league and really competitive in both age groups. It’s a lot of fun to take part in, win or lose.”
For more information on the Prince Albert Minor Football fall season, visit pariverriders.com.
