Pickering FC
COVID-19 Update
December 4, 2020
Dear PFC Family,

Last week we explained the position of Durham Region Health as it pertains to sport facilities like ours in the RED ZONE. From their perspective nothing has changed and in fact the numbers in our Region have headed a little further in the wrong direction. A can confirm that City of Pickering Mayor, Dave Ryan has continued to show is support for us and is staff continue to work side by side with us on field permitting. even took time to speak with us just yesterday. Again, any subdividing of the field house MUST be with a floor to ceiling solid wall. Plastic sheeting or tarps attached to our netting is not acceptable and would risk a fine of up to $100,000. 

A sincere thank you to the parents and coaches who have reached out to say thank you to us for following the current governmental requirements. We all know this is hard, trust us as we look at an empty facility day after day but if current numbers are anything to go by know this is the right thing.

On a positive note, most of our older Grassroots and Competitive teams have been out on the turf at Kinsmen and Pine Ridge to train for as long as we can before the serious snow and ice arrives. The response from players and coaches has been really good with the focus and intensity higher than ever

A reminder from last week:

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 have 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. Look out for a story on CBC coming soon!

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).  
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!

Spots are still available for the remaining games and this will get you ready for Mini Season 2. Click the image to register for Season 2, 3 or BOTH!
  • Multi-Season: This year we will be offering 3 mini-seasons (10 weeks each) instead of one long season (18 weeks). This will provide families with the flexibility to start their recreational involvement at a time that's right for them. 
  • Multi-sport players: Offering three mini-seasons will enable players that also participate in other sports to join us at the end of their current outdoor season or to get their soccer fix in before returning to another sport.
  • Discounts: The first season for each player will include their complete uniform package and Ontario Soccer registration. Subsequent seasons will be at a reduced rate to reflect those components are already paid for.
  • Outdoor kick-off: To make the most of this unusual Summer and to take advantage of good weather and fresh air the seasons will all kick-off on our community soccer fields located in neighborhoods across the City of Pickering.
  • Standards: PFC continues to develop our own match officials and using them for each game to ensure fairness and guidance to young players.
PFC All Abilities
Last week, the Pickering Football Club was contacted by CBC Sport’s Brenda Irving who is doing a piece on organizations who have received Jumpstart Sport Relief Funding. In September our PFC All Abilities Program was notified that it was 1 of 668 other organizations who will benefit from the generosity of Jumpstart, and the Sport Relief Fund. This funding has allowed us to continue to offer quality recreational programs to our athletes and families, during unprecedented times. As of this week, because Durham is now in the Red Zone, we have had to suspend our indoor programs - but we are still running our very popular Virtual All Abilities Soccer Program. Our Virtual PFC All Abilities Soccer Program has grown beyond our Pickering Football Club, and is now reaching athletes across Ontario and as far as Calgary Alberta. 

We are excited to share with you that our PFC All Abilities Program will be featured this Saturday on CBC-TV between 3:30-4:00pm EST.
The Pickering Football Club’s All Abilities program has been offering accessible recreational opportunities to children and youth in the Durham area for the past 13 years. Today, we offer numerous programs year-round at the Pickering Football Club and through our community partners in the Greater Toronto Area. Through growth and innovation, we have been able to pilot new projects every year offering expanded accessible programs to diverse populations.

In an effort to provide future accessible programming, we have established the All Abilities Development Fund. In partnership with Sport4Ontario and the National Sport Trust Fund, we are able to issue tax receipts for all donations. Any donation amount is appreciated. If 1/2 of the people receiving this email donated: $5.00 each - we would raise: $15,000! This would be a great help to program, athletes and families. 

Every child deserves the opportunity to participate in recreational opportunities that are fun, incorporates fitness and develops friendships. 

Organization Name: Pickering Football Club
Project Name: All Abilities Development Fund
Project Number: 155
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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