Some 200 Cochrane area youth are enjoying the diverse range of indoor soccer options of Cochrane Minor Soccer.
From a robust grassroots program to U19 league play, minor soccer continues to take a creative approach to finding a place for all those who enjoy the sport.
League play is underway on weekends on the artificial turf at the SLS Family Sports Centre. There, 100 youth play about half of their games on teams in the Calgary Minor Soccer Association.
Facing the challenge of finding a place here for all-girl rosters, they’ve created five mixed teams that play in Calgary boy leagues.
Carr says it has been a good fit for the players. Also, it keeps the girls playing in town year-round instead of heading to Calgary.
“We've got a lot of really strong girls,” she says. “All of them have a place to play this season.”
Minor soccer realizes other winter sports options make it difficult for some youth to dedicate themselves full-time to indoor soccer. They’ve taken a unique red-shirt approach unseen in Calgary. It gives them the option to play a bit in the winter so they're ready for the outdoor season.
“There's always room for players who want to come out and play with the team. We call it redshirting, so it's like a multi-sport program for those youth who are busy and committed to another winter sport.”
Red-shirt players are called up when regular players are unavailable due to holidays or illness.
“We have done this for about four years and every season it grows and grows. A lot of players will start the season as a part-time player until they know their other sports schedule. If the two sports mesh and they have enough time for both, they'll often commitment full-time to us. If it doesn't, they train as much as they can and then usually become full-time players in the outdoor season."
Grassroots players can start as young as just shy of three-years-old. While they’re now a few weeks into play, the door is always left open for those who want to join late, says Carr.
“We have lots of different options for them per week and register is still open for them to hop in now or registration is open for our new program that starts in January.”
Carr says the indoor sport continues to grow in popularity.
Last year we only had four teams," she says. "This year we have seven, so it's definitely growing."
Come spring, minor soccer grows to about 700 players for outdoor play.
More information on minor soccer can be found at www.932kick.com.