An exciting season on the pitch came to a close last weekend with the final playoff tournament for the Sunshine Coast Youth Soccer Association (SCYSA) and their house leagues.
For the past two weekends, more than 1,300 kids took part in their year-end division tournaments. On the March 20/21 weekend, the U7, U8, U9, U11 and U13 divisions held their playoff tournaments.
According to SCYSA president Norm Blair, all the divisions up to U13 are participatory divisions with the emphasis on having fun and developing skills. All players in those divisions, which are sponsored by Tim Hortons, received medals after their tournament.
"The number one goal is to have fun," said Blair. "Up until U11, all the teams are mixed, so you have boys and girls on the same team. The whole idea is to get as many kids involved and improve their skills as they move up in the ranks."Blair said more than 900 kids made up the five divisions this year.
In U13 girls Team Black won the league, followed by Team Strikeforce, while Team Black won the playoff tournament, with Tidal Wave coming in second. In U13 boys, Whitecaps won the league and tournament titles, with Strikeforce second in league play and Predators second in the tournament.
Last weekend, March 27/28, the U15 and U18 boys and girls held their playoff weekend. More than 400 kids made up these divisions this season. The action was competitive in all divisions on playoff weekend, much like it was during the regular season.
In U15 girls, the Pythons finished first in league play with the Ice Breakers in second. The Ice Breakers won the playoff weekend with Velocity in second place. In U15 boys, Team Lime won the league while finishing second in the playoffs, and Team Silver finished second in league play and won the playoffs. In U18 girls, Team Red had a big year, winning the league and tournament titles, with Team Lime finishing second in the league and Team White second in the playoffs. In U18 boys, Team E won the league title, followed by Team B. In the tournament, Team C, the Trojans, won the playoffs with Team B, Banditos, in second place.
Blair said overall, he was happy with the season, which brought about many challenges both on and off the field.
"Laurie Miller, our executive director, resigned after many years of service, so the board had to pick up the pieces, and there was a bit of a learning curve," Blair said. "But I think we're in a good position moving forward. Next year we're looking at creating a governance board rather than a management board and we'll be looking more to the membership to help us with small tasks to share the work load a bit."
Blair said plans are already in place to find ways to have on-going development programs for players and coaches and to continue to provide playing opportunities for all players on the Coast.
"Our numbers have stayed pretty steady this year, but based on the school district issues at the smaller age levels, we have to start preparing for the future," he said. "That means looking at ways of maintaining our numbers while also trying to get more kids involved in the league. That starts at the younger age groups, so our focus will be on player development and getting more players and coaches properly trained in the game."
Another issue going forward for the association is a lack of referees.
"Lots of our officials are retiring and we are also not getting the younger players involved. That's something that we need to address," he said.
As a final farewell for the season, the association is holding an appreciation night for all coaches, volunteers and officials at the Augusta Grill at 7 p.m. on April 14.
On-field activities start in August with the popular Drew Ferguson (Fergie's soccer camp) Aug. 9 to 13. The Vancouver Whitecaps will also pay a visit for a two-day development camp for all age groups Aug. 28/29.
For more information on the association and its activities for next year, check out http://deeprooted.ca/SCYSA/default.aspx.
