Pickering FC
COVID-19 Update
May 22, 2020
Dear PFC Family,
 
It’s ironic that what should have been the start of our regular Recreational Outdoor season has been littered with thunderstorms and heavy rain. In any other year this would have sent our Recreational Administrator Dave Lord into overdrive preparing reschedules and permits for later in the summer. In 2020 it’s gone almost unnoticed.
 
This chart was part of a survey sent to our League1 Ontario male and female players. League1 Ontario is the highest level of competition we offer here at Pickering FC. Our semi-professional teams formerly went under the banner of Durham United FA (DUFA) but part of our rebrand in 2019 was to consolidate this program under one Pickering FC banner. The survey really focused on the players and how they were managing during this time and I’m sure we can all relate to it

Community
Our Weekly Calendar continues to ensure everyone knows what we’re doing and that there is an opportunity for every member to connect with us. For the week ahead:
Our All Abilities Virtual Session – Saturday May 30 will be KRAZI HAIR DAY!!
Please join us this Saturday for a VERY special activity! Franco will be reading to us from a book called Lucy Tries Soccer . Get your soccer jersey on and be ready to enjoy the story, practice soccer skills and play some of the games that are in the book.

Don’t forget – wear your soccer shirt this Saturday, find a ball (any kind is good doesn’t have to be a soccer ball, nerf ball, beach ball, even a balloon will work great) and let’s get our game back on. We will score some goals, high five our teammates, and even practice our best goal scoring celly (celebration!)

  • 10:30am Welcome
  • 10:40am Fitness with Coach T
  • 11:00am Soccer with Franco
  • 11: 20am Future Virtual Program Timing Discussion
Our fantastic Walking Soccer group who meet each Friday at 10:30am welcomed me to their hangout this week for a chat about our developing Return to Play (RTP) plan and spoke openly about their eagerness to get back on the field. Their feedback will further inform our RTP.
Respect
We understand every family situation is different during this pandemic, just as it was before the pandemic. Please use our specific COVID-19 page on the website as your constant source of information for our weekly updates and our Return to Play (RTP) plan as we build that out. The RTP plan is now awaiting more news from Ontario Soccer and the City of Pickering and we will share it with you first. This quick chart shows the layers of guidance we absorb as a Club while we add our own unique community and facility needs.
Excellence
This week our examples of Excellence are ones that we hope to replicate on a consistent basis in the future. Through the delivery of our clear Player Development and Coach Development Pathways we can ensure the next generation of excellent players become fantastic coaches. We have many at PFC and here’s two to get us started.
Coach : Hollie Babut, Grassroots Dir.
Player : League1 Ontario Champion ’13 and ’18
Coach : Elvis Thomas, U14 Boys OPDL
Player : Canada Soccer Hall of Fame
  • Please stay in touch with your Head Coach for access details to each session. We’re taking a proactive approach to keeping our kids safe while they’re online with PFC Staff. Our new PFC Webinar Policy is aimed at protecting our attendees and can be viewed HERE.
Player Centered
DON’T FORGET!

Recreational Virtual Training is now at Week 6!

  • For players who registered Indoor 2019 or Outdoor 2020 Recreational all you have to do is register in advance at the link below (click image).
  • For new players, register for the Outdoor 2020 season here for only $1 down. Then click the image to register for the Virtual training session.
  • Look out for an exciting supplementary program for all those registered for Recreational Virtual Training coming soon.
Our Grassroots Development (U8-U12) continues twice a week led by Coach Hollie (Tuesdays, 5pm) and Coach Trey (Thursdays, 5pm). Details are available from your Head Coach and players are welcome to join in on both sessions.

  • Ball Drop Off! We delivered more balls to players in need this week. If you are new to the Club and need a new ball let us know by email to grassroots@pickeringfc.ca and we’ll get one to you asap. (We follow the Canada Post ‘Knock and Drop’ procedure).

  • Don’t forget our PFC Play at Home program is a downloadable work book packed with practices and puzzles.
Transparency and Integrity
The Club continues to maintain regular communication with City of Pickering staff with regard to field permitting and RTP protocols as they are announced. We are also part of a Sport Durham group that bring municipality, sport specific and facility providers together to share best practice and concerns as we manage through this time.

The PFC Board continue to monitor the appropriate direction for each program and is in regular contact with other Clubs in the area. As a not-for-profit organization our money is very closely accounted for and we hope to get member and community support as we work through this situation.
  • Indoor Competitive Head Coaches are communicating with their parent groups regarding the remainder of the Indoor season.
  • Competitive Outdoor seasons are continuing to be planned by our Leagues and therefore our staff assess the cost/deliverables as the picture becomes clearer. We are now starting to hear provisional plans from OPDL and DRSL leaders. 
  • Outdoor Recreational season will run and meet its objectives of a 14-game season with some festival type and/or multiple games in a week. We have contingency plans set for a July 1st or August 1st start date. The Clubs ‘Dollar Down’ registration is now open with a 2-part payment plan.

The Club has, and will, communicate every week (since March 19 th ), in order to keep you, our members informed during this tough time. For the most up-to-date information please remember to follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

If you have any questions or comments about this message please email: memberservices@pickeringfc.ca with 'COVID Update' in the Subject line.

Stay safe.
Matt Greenwood, Executive Director
Pickering Football Club
(905) 831-9803
PickeringFC.ca
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