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Pickering FC
COVID-19 Update
September 4, 2020
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Dear PFC Family,
We’re starting to see progress in our Return to Play with leagues now offering competition for the remainder of the summer and September 17th has been confirmed as the date Ontario Soccer will allow club v club games to begin. Liability protection against COVID19 claims, similar to that provided in BC for grassroots sport clubs, is not at this time offered in Ontario and so, the PFC Board is assessing the situation closely to ensure we are all protected. Again, we are guided by our Club values of Respect, Transparency and Integrity, Community, Player-Centered and Excellence as we monitor this situation.
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The 2020-2021 Indoor program is OPEN FOR REGISTRATION and kicks off on September 13th. We are at 50% of our registration target so make sure you register soon to ensure your child is placed on a team. Click the image to register:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Standards: PFC continues to develop our own match officials and using them for each game to ensure fairness and guidance to young players.
We’re still accepting applications to coach in the U3 to U6 and U8 to U18 divisions. If you are available to help out and have any further questions, please contact Dave Lord at admin-rec@pickeringfc.ca
Our PFC All Abilities Programs kick off this month too! Head Coach Jarod and Coaches T, Zain and Sarah are excited to welcome back players with three different playing options this season:
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All Abilities Junior and Senior Program – our tried and trusted model bringing players together for fun, fitness and friendship every Saturday morning.
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All Abilities Advanced Skills Program – our new program will enable a limited number of players to experience more advanced training
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All Abilities Virtual Training Program – following the success of our pandemic sessions we will continue to offer online training for players that are unable to join us at the field.
Please contact our All Abilities Program Coordinator at allabilities@pickeringfc.ca for more information.
A big shout out to All Abilities player Elliot who hung out with some stars of world soccer last weekend. The All State Soccer Show was hosted virtually and allowed fans like Elliot from across Canada to chat 1-on-1 with the likes of; Tossaint Ricketts, Richie Laryea, Desiree Scott, Denis Irwin, Dwight Yorke and Melissa Tancredi. Elliot’s mom Debbie told us “We learned so much! It was a fantastic opportunity!”
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Registration for our U8-U12 Grassroots Development program is now open and can be completed after contact with the Head Coach.
Led by our talented Grassroots Director, Hollie Babut (grassroots@pickeringfc.ca), this program has never been in better shape. Hollie manages the structure of the program and the technical content of each session while supporting great coaches within each age group.
- 26-week program
- Weekly league play
- 2 practices per week
- Qualified and screened Coaching staff
- Goalkeeper specialist session
Players in this program often continue on to Competitive and High-Performance soccer. We support multi-sport athletes who often need to adjust their commitment at certain times of the year and the door is never closed to players who might want to come and see if it’s right for them.
Click image to register for our Open Houses:
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DYK: Open House is the appropriate environment for U8-U12 players to experience a new program and decide if it is right for them. Players aren’t ‘selected’ or ‘cut’ because there is a place for everyone and emotionally children at this age shouldn’t be graded because player development is non-llinear.
Tryouts or ID Camps are for U13 and older players who are now emotionally able to understand the decision-making process and how they measure up to their peers. Make sure you’re informed!
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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 form the DRSL into the CSL. The CSL covers an area from Barrie in the north to Peterborough in the east and as far west as Etobicoke. 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.
Click image to register for Tryouts:
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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. We can now confirm following announcements this week:
League 1 Ontario have cancelled their planned Fall season and will now focus on 2021 planning.
OPDL have cancelled the planned season and is now discussing with license holders the potential to run a series of regionalised games until November. Click the image below to register for 2021 tryouts.
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The Match Official Committee is working towards the 2020-2021 Indoor Rec Season and held a planning meeting this week to introduce the program to the new officials and update the returning officials on what to expect. This week we introduce you to the remaining Committee Members:
Michael Heuthe
- Match Official for 16 Years
- Ontario Soccer Match Official Grade - 9 Regional Match Official
- Occupation - Works in the film industry as Post Production Manager and Video Producer
- 2019 Leagues - League1 Ontario, Ontario Soccer League, Ontario Women’s Soccer League, Ontario Cup, Central Soccer League, Ontario Universities, Ontario Colleges AA, Ontario Player Development League and Pickering FC Recreational League
Dave Lord
- Staff representative on committee
- Ontario Soccer Certified Mentor
- Ontario Certified Discipline Chair
- Pickering FC Match Official Assignor since 2012
Krishna Rajballie
- 11 years as a Match Official
- Ontario Match Official Grade - 6
- Ontario Soccer Certified Mentor
- Occupation – Retired School Principal
- 2019 Leagues – Pickering FC, Central Soccer League, Durham Region SL, Toronto Soccer Association, York Region SL, DOLS, SWOT, Whitby Men’s and Toronto District School Board
Alanna Takashima
- 8 years as a Match Official
- Ontario Soccer Match Official Grade – 6
- Occupation – Registered Kinesiologist
- 2019 Leagues – Pickering FC Rec, Ontario Player Development League and Ontario Academy Soccer League
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Governance and Operations |
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The PFC Board is now leading our strategic direction to the next level and we want you involved. The Club is refining its governance model to align with the Canada Soccer recommended model of a skills-based board, supported by clear sub-committees and standing committees. This makes best use of everyone’s time and allows for more expertise and greater diversity at the core of the Club.
We’ve stated before that the Club has a hunger to come back to the field with ‘a renewed energy, with fresh ideas and lots of hope for the future’. That’s going to need your skill set, your energy and your ideas! Our first key date will be the PFC AGM to be held on November 18th at the Pickering Soccer Centre where we would like to present our Standing Committees as:
- Finance Committee.
- Risk-Audit Committee.
- Governance Committee.
- Nominations Committee.
The Standing Committees are an integral part of any not-for-profit organization. They would typically meet once a month for 1-2 hours and address matters specific to their area of the Club. If you have an interest in volunteering some time on one of these Committees please contact Matt Greenwood at execdirector@pickeringfc.ca to arrange an informal chat.
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Don’t forget, our Return to Play strategy is available on the PFC website under our COVIVD19 page for everyone’s reference and provides a lot of detail on the three key components to our Return to Play Strategy. We have also made available a recording of the webinar we had previously delivered to Grassroots, Competitive and OPDL families in June. The link can be found here.
Our 25th consecutive Weekly Update is supported by ongoing updates and stories through our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook platforms. 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
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