Pickering FC
COVID-19 Update
December 12, 2020
Dear PFC Family,

We hope that you and your family are beginning to enjoy the holiday season as much as you can under the circumstances. At the Club we’ve been working hard to plan for an indoor return that could start in early January but we’re also realistic about the current trend in COVID-19 cases, the move for York Region to a full lockdown on Monday and the spike in certain Durham Region municipalities. Mayor Dave Ryan along with the Mayor of Whitby have requested that our questions regarding the capacity limit in the dome be reassessed.

We continue to remain patient and prepared.

The PFC Board will be meeting this coming Wednesday by virtual conference call for their final monthly meeting of 2020. On behalf of myself and the PFC Staff and Coaches I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to them for their commitment and dedication to the Club and it’s well-being now more than ever. Each has brought unique skills to the table and provide staff with much needed support when our resources were very limited. As volunteers they truly stepped up to the plate, and their enthusiasm for us to come back stronger than ever in 2021 is great to see. Thank you, Ed, Corrado, Roz, John, Barry, Warren, Lisa and Vince.

Our older Competitive teams continue to train at Pine Ridge with more positive responses from players, parents and coaches. 

Competitive and High-Performance programs continue to train outdoors. This is a team by team decision with any missed sessions to be made up during the break between Indoor and Outdoor (usually April to mid May). The format will return to training with no games and in order to keep numbers low at any given time there will be adjustments to the schedule.

Recreational programs including Indoor Rec (U3-U18), Women’s Rec and external bookings for games have been suspended until further notice. We are prepared for Mini Season #2 and hope to kick this off at the start of January, subject to pandemic zoning restrictions.  

All Abilities program has moved quickly back to their virtual training platform led by Coach T and Coach Zain. Anyone wanting to join the FREE virtual training can contact Tammy at allabilities@pickeringfc.ca

Pickering Soccer Centre Users have been contacted directly. At this time no external users are able to access the facility.

As we learn more you will be communicated to directly via email (program specific information) or through this Weekly Email and social media (general information).  
PFC All Abilities
Our PFC All Abilities Community is so grateful for the support we have received from Jumpstart over the last three years. Our program and athletes were featured last weekend on CBC Sport TV. We are just one of 668 organizations across Canada benefiting from Jumpstarts Sport Relief Fund. The team at CBC did an amazing job highlighting our program and the challenges we have experienced during Covid-19. 

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW!!
High Performance
The Pickering FC structure defines high performance as those programs where teams compete in standards-based leagues. This includes the Ontario player Development league (OPDL) for players from U13-U17 age groups and then for older players they enter League1 Ontario (L1O). These leagues bringing with them a higher cost that reflects the increased training time, coaching level, longer season, uniform and equipment. 

Training Days and Times will be confirmed by your Head Coach for the weeks ahead.
Competitive
Pickering FC runs teams in the Durham Region Soccer League (DRSL) and the Central Soccer League (CSL). Promotion and relegation allow for teams at U13 and up to be promoted from the DRSL into the CSL. The CSL is confirmed to run in 2021 and will cover an area including Toronto, North York, Scarborough and Peterborough in the east. In conjunction with the Team Head Coach and our Director of Soccer Operations, Dave Benning, the playing group is assessed for their ability level to play at one of these two levels.

Training Days and Times will be confirmed by your Head Coach for the weeks ahead.
Grassroots Development
If your child is interested in developing beyond the Recreational level and learning from our well qualified and screened coaching staff then our Grassroots program for players aged between U8-U12 started this week. Our Open House philosophy means that new players wanting to try it are more than welcome. The program includes:

  • 26-week program
  • Inter Club exhibition games
  • 2 practices per week
  • Goalkeeper specialist session

Players are still more than welcome to register as part of our ongoing Open House and need to be in the Sports Engine system for contact tracing purposes so please contact us directly if you are interested in learning more. If you have questions about the program please contact our Grassroots Director, Hollie Babut (grassroots@pickeringfc.ca) for more details.

Training Days and Times will be confirmed by your Head Coach for the weeks ahead.
PFC Digital Rewards
Recreational
WE STILL PLAN TO RUN SEASON 2 & 3 STARTING IN THE NEW YEAR!
Click the image to register for Season 2, 3 or BOTH!
PFC Community Programs
Community Programs* are suspended until we are confirmed safe access to the Pickering Soccer Centre continue each week during the day: 

  • Walk the Dome, daily from Mon - Thurs (9 - 11am). SUSPENDED
  • Walking Soccer, weekly on Tuesdays (10:30-12pm). SUSPENDED
  • Adult Drop-In Soccer weekly on Sunday (8:30-10pm). SUSPENDED

* Covid-19 protocols and participant waivers will be in effect for all community programming
Indoor Resources
Helpful resources providing guidance to families and facility users prior to visiting the Pickering Soccer Centre:

  1. Pickering Soccer Centre Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) that we will update as and when required
  2. Pickering Soccer Centre Entry and Exit protocols. (Thanks to Megan and Paige!) (video)
  3. Pickering Soccer Centre Return to Play Protocol presentation (video)
  4. Pickering Soccer Centre Rental Info & Steps we are taking due to Covid-19

We are also:

  • Spreading out some field bookings during these early weeks in the dome, allowing for extra space beyond the Provincial guidelines
  • Increasing our facility staff numbers during the first few weeks of our return in order to maintain cleaning levels and assist players coming in and out of the field house
  • Acquiring additional student help to provide support and guidance.
Governance and Operations
You will recall the Club had started planning for our first ever virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 18th. Unfortunately, the Club has been overly stretched as a result of the pandemic and preparing the audit in a timely manner has put undue stress on our Club staff and on our auditors.  As a result, the PFC Board approved a postponement of the AGM and the presentation of our audited financials until early 2021. This gives everyone a little more time to consider our positions up for election and to think about how you might want to volunteer. Club Secretary, Roz Lavoie is managing this area and can be contacted at secretary@pickeringfc.ca for more information. Board positions up for election:  

President - 2 year term and nominee must be a current Board member 
Treasurer - 1 year term and should possess accounting knowledge & experience 
Secretary - 2 year term 
Director at Large - Full Field Recreational Soccer - 2 year term 
Director at Large - Boys' Competitive Soccer - 2 year term 
Director at Large - Girls' Competitive Soccer - 1 year term 
Director at Large - Special Projects - 2 year term
Notices
Don’t forget, our Return to Play strategy is available on the PFC website under our COVID19 page for everyone’s reference and provides a lot of detail on the three key components to our Return to Play Strategy. 

Our Weekly Update is supported by ongoing news and stories through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook platforms. 

Stay safe.

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