Following the late arrival of spring that forced the Sundre Soccer Club to start the season indoors, players have recently had the opportunity to play outdoors.
“It’s good now that we’re outside,” said Amber Jenkins, president of the board, who added that she was glad the weather is finally cooperating.
“It’s hard to play in snow!”
After spending the first couple of weeks of the season practising in the Sundre High School gym last month, the Sundre Soccer Club’s fun league has been heading out for the weekly Tuesday practice and games at the fields adjacent to the recycling centre in the southeast, she said, adding the kids received their jerseys in early April.
This year, there are four U-5 and four U-7 teams as well as two large U-9 teams. Additionally, new to the club's roster this season are two U-3 teams in which parents play with the tots, she said.
The club, which elected its board in January, is doing well, and parents always seem ready to help out and provide support as required, said Jenkins. She is serving her first term as president but has been involved with the organization for going on three years.
Jenkins said she enjoys being part of the effort to make an affordable recreational option available to youths who are interested in trying or learning more about soccer.
Games are informal and the Sundre teams just scrimmage against one another for fun, with the focus at this stage largely being on “skills and drills,” she said.
The annual fun tournament and windup party is scheduled for June 19, with the last day of the season the following week. Last year’s season wrap-up event was cancelled because of rain, so holding it a week earlier leaves open the possibility of rescheduling for the next week should the weather turn for the worst, she said.
Meanwhile, the club’s competitive league — which plays in the Big Country Soccer Association along with Carstairs, Didsbury, Three Hills, Olds and Drumheller — has 21 players on the U-13 team, said Bailey Skorodenski, co-coach as well as the organization’s treasurer.
They played their first game of the season last Thursday, May 3 on the road in Carstairs. Their first home game of the season is scheduled for this Thursday, May 10, when they’ll play against Didsbury, she said.
