As warmer weather starts to finally melt the copious amounts of snow on Thompson’s lawns and fields, the Thompson Junior Soccer Association is gearing up for what it hopes will be a successful 2023 season that will include a substantial change from past years.
The association’s president Nuno Pereira and vice-president Michelle Day appeared before council at their March 20 committee of the whole meeting, one day before the official start of spring, to ask whether discounted fees and more frequent line painting might be possible to make things financially easier and more visually appealing this season.
The cost to rent a full-size field — there are three at Burntwood School — is $26 for a four-hour block. Last year, the TJSA also reserved a fourth field, through they ultimately did not end up using it, for four nights of soccer per week at a weekly cost of over $400.
“Any reduction in fees would be wonderful because the more that we have to pay for the fees, the more I’m trying to finagle my schedule to use less fields but that’s detrimental to the kids,” said Day. “If I’m stacking games back-to-back on one field versus being able to go to games on each field, it’s easier for the parents, it’s easier for the kids if we have access to all fields at the same time.”
Like Day, Pereira is new to the TJSA board this year, the two both serving as coaches last season, but has a longstanding passion for soccer, having travelled to France and Brazil to see Euro Cup and World Cup matches featuring his favourite national team — Portugal — in the past.
“Soccer has always been part of the Thompson story,” he said. “Myself, I remember being a young kid, watching my dad play.”
When he played unorganized soccer games for fun as a child, Pereira says it was always a thrill when the lines on the fields were freshly painted and easily seen.
“A nice presented field is just such an important thing that keeps [players] wanting to come back,” he said.
Last year, Day recalls, the lines were only painted once, at a cost of $100 per field to the association, and they would like to see them done once a month this year, if possible, because after a month the markings have been mowed away.
The TJSA is going to experiment with a split season this year. The first part will take place in June and July, the months the TJSA has traditionally scheduled games, with the second part taking place when school is back in September.
“A lot of the kids didn’t make it for the soccer in July because of summer holidays,” said Day. “So we are extending our season into September and we want to see if we’ll have a good response when the kids are back in school, if they still want to come in the evenings and show up for soccer.”
The August hiatus could also be a chance for some more intensive maintenance of the fields so they’re in good shape when the season restarts and for high school soccer when it’s Thompson’s turn to host the annual northern tournament, the TJSA representatives suggested.
Ultimately, Pereira, who runs a weekly outdoor soccer game for adults in the spring and summer as well as an indoor league for adults and some youth over the fall and winter months, says he would like to see an artificial turf field in Thompson which can be ready for use more quickly after the snow melts and eliminate the need for frequent line repainting, as well as an indoor field that can be used year-round, something that was part of the original plans for the refurbishment of the recreation centre but abandoned because of financial constraints.
In a previous conversation with the Thompson Citizen, Pereira said he is also hoping to work with the Manitoba Soccer Association to hold more referee clinics this year to ensure that there is a sufficient number of properly trained referees to officiate TJSA games.
Registration for this soccer season is open until the end of April and more information about the TJSA is available on their Facebook page or Instagram account or by emailing [email protected].
