After what she calls a “very disappointing” turnout at this year’s AGM, South Cariboo Minor Soccer Association president Brittany Giesbrecht says that the 2023 soccer season will have to be cancelled unless some key positions in the organization are filled by Sept. 15.
“We only had two new people at the AGM on Aug. 24, along with four of the six remaining executive members, which was disappointing,” she says.
She adds that the executive was concerned, going into the meeting, that they wouldn’t have a good outcome.
“When we started [the 2022 season] we had issues finding volunteers as well, and almost had to cancel the season due to a lack of volunteers. We were worried that it could be a possibility that people wouldn’t put their names forth for next year, and unfortunately that’s what happened.”
Giesbrecht says that while a couple of key positions within the executive have been filled, they still need a head referee, a registrar, and a scheduler by Sept. 15 in order to commit to having a 2023 season. “Without people in those positions we’ll have to cancel.”
They also need volunteers to fill other positions, including vice president, treasurer, statistician, sponsor liaison, concession coordinator, concession assistant, and communications rep.
“We can do things without people in those positions for a time, because they’re not as essential. I did four or five positions last year in order to have a season, and other members of the executive held multiple positions. We had one major position not filled but several people from the executive covered it, because none of us wanted to cancel.
“We made the season work with what we had, but sometimes it becomes too much for us to handle. People get run down really fast, and some things are lacking because we don’t have one person focusing on just one or two things.”
Giesbrecht acknowledges that there could be reasons why people aren’t volunteering.
“I don’t know if it’s COVID having something to do with people not wanting to go out and volunteer, or if there are other things going on in people’s lives and they’re super busy. I did hear from a couple of people who had reached out and shown some interest in putting their names forth, but they didn’t come to the AGM.
“It could be the timing of the meeting; it’s still summer and almost back to school, and people didn’t know it was happening. But I’d hope that people would come forth and volunteer so kids in our community can enjoy soccer. It would be a shame if we had to cancel due to a lack of volunteers.”
She adds that soccer season feels as if it’s a long time away right now, but says that registration starts in January so that teams can get sorted out, and that the executive works hard in the off season to make sure everything runs smoothly when it’s time to start registration. “People don’t realize how much time it takes to get everything organized.”
Giesbrecht says that people do not have to be a parent or guardian of a player in order to volunteer or to be on the executive. Every position is different in terms of the time commitment, with major positions requiring a couple of hours outside soccer each week.
“Most of the time comes during tournaments. Other than that it’s difficult to say. You can put in as little or as much as you want depending on how much you want to see the association succeed.”
Prior to the season starting there are monthly meetings, which can be done in person or via Zoom. Giesbrecht says the Zoom option has helped a lot, enabling out of town members to join in meetings on a regular basis.
However, she adds that if the key positions aren’t filled, the association will be forced to do something they don’t want to.
”Let’s get some parents and guardians and adults out there to make another great season of soccer for kids in our communities. We want to see the kids play in 2023.”
Descriptions of all the positions that need filling can be found on the South Cariboo Minor Soccer Association Facebook page under “Files”. For more information, text or phone Giesbrecht at (250) 319-9361, email brittany1706@hotmail.com, or send a message via Facebook.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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