The Boundary Youth Soccer Association is kicking it up into high gear as the season draws closer.
Registration is open to youth from ages four to 14, with the season beginning on April 15.
“Teams are starting to fill up so if people are hoping to play where they want to play, they need to get online and sign up,” said Jeff Olsen, president of the association. “We’re probably 3/4 registered right now.”
Olsen stated there is no limit on the number of kids that can register, but if you sign up too late, you may not be able to play in the team you want.
“If you live in Grand Forks, we may tell you the only place we can put you is in Christina Lake because we have to have the coaches and teams organized,” he said.
In order to guarantee a spot on a team and not be on the waitlist, the earlier one signs up, the better.
“There’s no real deadline because if somebody calls up in the middle of May and wants to play soccer, we’ll see if there’s a spot,” Olsen added. “But in order to be guaranteed a spot on the team, we’re not going to overload the team, so there might be a waitlist. If you register three weeks from now and hope to play soccer within that week, you may have to wait.”
Olsen pointed out that all registration forms can be found online at boundaryyouthsoccer.com.
“We’re good to go this season with coaches,” he added. “We have 47 coaches coming in this (past) weekend and we have 29 teams this season at this point.”
Last season, the association had difficulties finding enough volunteers to help coach the teams.
In the end, the teams were still functioning when several parents stepped up to the plate.
“This year we’re hoping to run a program called Kicks for Kids,” Olsen explained.
“During our game days, we’re going to set up a field with balls and a net and have a coach there. It’s for two and three-year-olds who want to come out and give it a try. It’s to give them an introduction to the game.”
Last season, which ran from April to October, had 307 registered youth with 494 scheduled games in total.
Volunteers, including coaches, board of directors, referees and helpers, logged over 8,000 hours.
The youth soccer players collectively spent 13,000 hours on the field.
For more information, or to register, visit boundaryyouthsoccer.com.