THORPE REPORT: Youth soccer fills the pitch

Soccer – or association football for purists – is played year-round.

There is a girls’ spring league in local schools, cup playdowns for select teams, and various camps during the spring and summer months. But fall marks the start of the traditional soccer season.

Overseas, the Premier League has just kicked off. While in our part of the world, Nanaimo United Football Club is set to get underway with another busy season starting this month involving over 2,300 players at all age levels.

Incorporated in 1995, Nanaimo United Football Club has been a successful merging and expansion of what was once Nanaimo District Youth Soccer Association and Harbour City Football Club. The organization is a non-profit, volunteer directed, and professionally managed community club, providing youth and adult soccer programs to Nanaimo and surrounding areas.

Heading up Nanaimo United FC is executive director Jason Coates, assisted by technical lead Daragh Fitzgerald. Emma Monpetit is member services coordinator, Elise Coates is community engagement lead, Ross Cameron is head referee, and heading up various components of the association are Cara Dunlop, John George, Michael Heppelle, Chris Ilyn, Jackson Borzel, Bobbie Taylor, and Jade Dillabaugh.

Those components include extensive options for youth and senior players. Things start with the Happy Cleats program for beginning U4-U7 players of all ability levels. The fall season runs September through December, providing a safe and fun introduction to the sport for boys and girls to learn some basic soccer and movement skills in a group setting.

Separate boys’ and girls’ teams are formed in the U8 to U18 Central Island Soccer League. The graduated format calls for U8-U9 teams to play 5-aside, the U10-U11 groups to play 7-aside, and the U12-U18 teams to play 9-aside games. The season is September to June, includes some festival or tournament weekends, and involves teams from Ladysmith, Gabriola, and Parksville. Players from this league who wish additional training can also take part in the Nanaimo United Academy, a developmental program for all ages run by professional NUFC staff. The Academy is also open to anyone who wishes high quality training in a group setting without the commitment to a full-time team.

Motivated U12-U18 players can take part in the Tier 2 REP select team program. Teams compete against upper Island and lower Island squads through to next spring, leading to provincial cup playdowns. Beyond that, there is the B.C. Soccer Premier League for Tier 1 U14-U18 players that are recommended by United staff for the highest level of youth development within the province.

In addition to the programs above, Nanaimo United FC also offers one-on-one training for skill development, and a special Goalkeepers Academy for U8-U18 players interested in this unique position. The academy is led by a team of coaches, and participants do not need any previous experience playing goal.

Finally, there is the Just for Kicks soccer program for players with diverse needs who would benefit from an adaptive sport environment – a great way for participants to explore soccer, learn skills, and make friends.

Turning to adult offerings, United registers men’s teams to compete in Divisions 1,2,4, U21, and 35/over of the Vancouver Island Soccer League. Adult women’s teams are registered in the Premier, Division 1, and 30/over leagues of the Lower Island Women’s Soccer Association.

Sign-up for youth and adult leagues is now underway and spaces are filling up quickly. Online registration and more information is available at www.nanaimounitedfc.com or you can contact the clubhouse at 250-729-9400.

As Merle Logan used to say, “see you on the pitch!”

Whatever your sport, a reminder in closing to play your hardest, play fair, and show good sportsmanship.