From left are Dave Parsons, long-time volunteer with South Okanagan youth minor soccer, Ezra Cremers, new executive director and head coach of the Pinnacles Soccer Club, Jill Price, one of the head coaches for the Osoyoos minor soccer program, and Pinnacles Soccer Club board chair Tony Patrocinio. Keith Lacey photo
From left are Dave Parsons, long-time volunteer with South Okanagan youth minor soccer, Ezra Cremers, new executive director and head coach of the Pinnacles Soccer Club, Jill Price, one of the head coaches for the Osoyoos minor soccer program, and Pinnacles Soccer Club board chair Tony Patrocinio. Keith Lacey photo
Big changes are taking place in minor soccer in Osoyoos and across the South Okanagan.
All minor soccer players in this region are now members of a much more progressive and ambitious organization that has set a goal to allow young players to have fun and learn the game, while allowing more accomplished players the opportunity to play at a higher level.
After 30 years, the South Okanagan Youth Soccer Association (SOYSA) has been disbanded and replaced by Pinnacles Football Club, which has its home base in Penticton, but will, like SOYSA, offer minor soccer programs to towns throughout the South Okanagan, said Tony Patrocinio, chair of the SOYSA board for the past six years.
Pinnacles Football Club was formed in 1954 in Penticton and has been operating a minor soccer program for the past 50 years.
“SOYSA has been around for more than 30 years and thousands of players have come through the system, but we feel coming together under the umbrella of the Pinnacles Soccer Club is the right thing to do at this time,” said Patrocinio. “When you mentioned SOYSA to people, they didn’t really know what that meant and where you were located. We feel having all teams operate under the Pinnacles Football Club, with teams remaining in every community, will help with marketing and branding, with our logo and easier to attract corporate sponsorship. This move has taken a long time to finalize, but we feel it’s a big move in the right direction.”
All of the minor soccer teams in Osoyoos will wear a logo saying “Osoyoos Pinnacles Football Club” for the coming season.
The new league will continue to offer minor soccer for divisions ranging from under-5 to under-18 in each community.
A huge difference is once players in the older age groups begin to stand out, they will be able to access better coaching and training as Pinnacles Football Club has hired a full-time executive director and head coach.
Ezra Cremers recently moved to Penticton from Nanaimo after signing a five-year contract as the executive director of the Pinnacles Football Club. When he’s not working as an assistant coach with the senior men’s team, Cremers will spend his time setting up leagues and working with minor soccer coaches throughout the South Okanagan.
This includes setting up regional training camps for players of all ages and allowing players with exceptional talent to access coaching and training at a higher level.
“It will be much like the European model where a club team sponsors an entire minor program . . . with the long-term goal of allowing the top young players to graduate to the big club once they’re finished with minor soccer,” said Cremers. “I’m very excited to have been offered this opportunity to set up a minor soccer program across the South Okanagan.”
Pinnacles Football Club will operate other minor soccer programs in Oliver as well.
For more information, go online and visit www.pinnaclesfc.com.
