The Canora Soccer Club held its annual general meeting at the Canora Composite School on April 6.
           The group is focused on keeping youth active at a low cost, which is why soccer is a good fit for them, said Candace Doogan, vice-president.
           The club keeps expenses to a minimum, which allows the focus for the most part to remain on the kids and the game. Since interest in soccer has been on the increase in recent years, this has proven to be an effective policy, said Doogan.
           Registration of Canora children in soccer was 56 in 2014, 64 in 2015, and 76 in 2016. This works out to an increase of over 35 per cent in only two years. Numbers for 2017 are not yet available, but there is definitely reason for optimism, she said.
           A pressing issue raised at the meeting was the question of whether to remain a member of the Saskatchewan Soccer Association (SSA), or to break away. The SSA insurance policy is a significant point in the club’s favor, since all member organizations are covered while participating in sanctioned events, she said.
           But the other side of this question is that the SSA only recognizes games with other SSA member teams. The closest SSA member teams to Canora are in Yorkton, Melville, Springside and Esterhazy. This can make it quite difficult and costly for teams in relatively remote areas such as Canora to find enough games to allow its players to improve their skills and advance in the game, said Doogan.
           A vote taken during the meeting was strongly in favour of maintaining membership in the SSA.
           With increased numbers of soccer players comes an increased need for coaches. There is always a need for more adult coaches, but several Canora high school students have expressed an interest in coaching. Regulations specify that each student/coach would require an adult at his or her games to act as a supporter, said Doogan.
           For anyone interested in coaching, a free coaching clinic is coming up on April 24 and 25 after school. Prospective coaches would be required to be in attendance on both days, according to information shared at the meeting.
           In the past, some Canora residents expressed frustration with not knowing about soccer related events. The Canora Soccer Club recently began sending memos home with school age kids, and this has improved communication of event details noticeably, said Doogan.   Â
           An upcoming highlight that everyone is looking forward to is the annual Fathers Day soccer game where the kids take on the fathers. At the meeting it was decided that this year’s game will take place on June 17, the day before Father’s Day.
           The Canora Soccer Club executive committee is as follows: Trish Bedore, president; Candace Doogan, vice-president; Barry Hvidston, treasurer; Sandy Bedore, secretary; Leona Kitchen, equipment manager; and Taunya Kondratoff, jersey manager.
           At the meeting it was decided that the executive committee will pursue acquiring sponsorships from new Canora businesses such as Tim Hortons and Subway, in hopes that they will want to be associated with the growing sport of soccer.Â
