The Battlefords United Football Club (BUFC) features soccer teams for children and youth of many ages in the local community. (submitted photos/Kat Huxley)

By Martin Martinson

Soccer Return Nears

Battlefords FC ‘very excited’ with Phase four around the corner

Jun 18, 2020 | 2:20 PM

The Government of Saskatchewan announced this week, Monday, June 22 will mark the start date for part one of Phase four in the provincial re-open plan.

Included in part one of the phase is the re-opening of outdoor sports and activities, which will allow youth sports to return to action.

Head coach and competitive coordinator with Battlefords United Football Club (BUFC), Kat Huxley, said it is great news soccer will be able to return this year.

“[I am] very excited,” Huxley said. “We know that a lot of people, including athletes, are just ready to get back into routine and training and getting back on the ball. Whether its soccer or any other sport, they’re just ready to get outside and go do something.”

With provincial safety guidelines still in place, Huxley said the initial return to the field may look a bit different this year. There will likely be less of an emphasis on official games, due to the limitations on some of what players and teams will be able to do on a competitive level.

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“We’re going to be looking more to be doing a lot of training,” she said. “With everything that’s going on, we have the restrictions and everything from the government, and then also the restrictions from Saskatchewan Soccer, so being able to follow everyone’s guidelines is what’s going to restrict how fast we return to full training. [It will affect potential] games against other people, or even full-on scrimmages within our club, so it is going to impact the league, but it is also going to impact how competitively players train.”

Regardless of how the season plays out as it pertains to games and level of competitiveness, Huxley said just giving kids and youth the chance to get back involved in sports presents a huge benefit to their development.

“Sports are a massive component to the positive aspect of our community,” she said. “On top of being something for kids and spectators to be part of, it’s also super good for our mental health. Having our athletes doing something positive is good for their mental health, it’s good for their relationships with their peers, and it’s good for relationships within the community.”

One of the youth eagerly awaiting his return to the field has been Max G.

Max is a 12 year-old local soccer player who has played the last four seasons for Battlefords United FC. He said he’s been counting down the days to when he can return to the field.

“I was really excited for soccer to start back up because I missed a couple of competitive tournaments out of Saskatchewan and that was really [too bad],” he said. “I like the competitiveness and all the friendly people around the soccer community.”

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1