With so much snow on the ground this week, it’s hard to believe that the minor soccer season is just around the corner. The Pinnacles Football Club is urging parents to sign up their children in all age divisions from the Mini under 5 age division right up to the under 18 division. The Pinnacles Football Club has organized the Osoyoos Spring Icebreaker Tournament for the first weekend in April and more than 800 minor soccer players from across the South Okanagan are expected to participate. An inaugural youth tournament for players from under 11 to under 18 is also being organized for the May long weekend in Osoyoos. (Keith Lacey file photo)
With several inches of snow on the ground earlier this week, many might find it difficult to believe that soccer season is only six weeks away.
But that’s the reality as the Pinnacles Football Club is ready to roll for the second year here in Osoyoos.
After more than 30 years in operation as the South Okanagan Youth Soccer Association (SOYSA), the Pinnacles Football Club took over operating the minor soccer program in Osoyoos and across the South Okanagan last year.
Early bird registration for players of all ages – which ranges from the mini program under age 5 up to under 18 – wraps this Friday.
Parents will save a few dollars by signing their children up before the deadline, said Cyndi Ternovoy, the club league administrator for the Pinnacles Soccer Club.
“Osoyoos had a team at every age level last year and we’re expecting the same thing this year,” said Ternovoy. “For our mini program from under 5 to under 10, we’re expecting roughly 60 players this year and for our youth program from under 11 to under 18, we’re expecting approximately 75 kids and maybe even a few more than that.”
While the regular season is scheduled to begin on April 12, the minor soccer season in Osoyoos will kick off a week earlier than that with the inaugural Osoyoos Spring Icebreaker set to take place at Desert Park from April 4-6, said Ternovoy.
“This will allow the players to get ready for the regular season and allow coaches to get a look at their players before the season begins,” said Ternovoy. “We’re expecting close to 850 players and more than 50 teams to compete in the tournament, which is a very big number and a great way to start the season.
“We will have teams from Osoyoos, Oliver, Penticton, Keremeos and Summerland. We’re really looking forward to a successful tournament and if everything goes as planned, we will be holding this tournament every spring in Osoyoos.”
Osoyoos will also be hosting an inaugural youth tournament over the May long weekend at Desert Park for players ranging from under 11 to under 18, said Ternovoy.
“We’re hoping to get as many as 20 teams for the May long weekend tournament from across B.C. and even a few from Alberta,” she said. “We know that a lot of people start coming to Osoyoos because of the beautiful weather this time of year and thought it would be the perfect time to try a tournament in May. Desert Park is a great facility and the people in minor soccer in Osoyoos have been asking to increase the number of tournaments they can host, so we’re really looking forward to making this an annual event.”
The Pinnacles Football Club has been in operation in Penticton since 1954 and has been operating a successful minor soccer program for decades, so it has been a relatively easy transition to take over from SOYSA and run the minor soccer program across the region, said Ternovoy.
“It was a fairly easy transition and most parents I spoke to really didn’t notice any significant changes,” she said.
Local soccer star Mila Miller, who played college soccer in the United States for the past several years, has been hired by Pinnacles Football Club to run the mini soccer program in Osoyoos this spring, said Ternovoy.
“Mila is an excellent player and we thought she would be the perfect choice to run the mini program in Osoyoos,” she said. “We’re very excited to have her on board and I’m sure she will work well with all of the young players and volunteer coaches.
“We’ve added paid coaches to be in charge of the skills development aspect in the under 5, under 6 and under 7 age divisions across the region and believe it will make a significant difference in helping our youngest players develop into better soccer players.”
Players can still register for every age division after this week by visiting the Pinnacles Football Club website at www.pinnaclesfc.com. They can also register in Penticton at the Adidas Sports Complex at 550 Eckhardt Avenue West.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
The Pinnacles Football Club is offering parents a reduced early bird registration fee if they sign children up for the 2014 spring league by the end of business hours on Friday. This photo was taken from the Pinnacles FC fall tournament held last October in Osoyoos. (Keith Lacey file photo)
