With the snow gone, green grass has started peeking up through last years dead growth. It’s started to warm up and precipitation has (largely) turned from snow to rain or drizzle. Perhaps spring is finally here, which means soccer season is starting soon.
The 100 Mile House Soccer Association (OMHSA) has started meeting with their coaches and assistant coaches and soccer sign-ups have been going on for weeks.
This weekend, there was a new team of recruits for on the field, but they won’t be playing for any team. Nine new referees went through the training at the 100 Mile House soccer fields this weekend.
Patrick Harkness, a provincial instructor with BC Soccer Association’s Referee Development Program, drove up from the Fraser Valley to instruct the new whistleblowers.
“This weekend went very well. We had nine very enthusiastic and well behaved young adults who have come out to be referees,” he said. “It’s going to help what we call the referee pool so that they hopefully have enough referees to manage every one of the games that is being played here in 100 Mile.”
According to Harkness, they focussed on the laws of the game which is really their bible which guides them in managing the games on the field.
“One of the benefits of the 100 Mile House Youth Soccer Association is really the way the community backs them up. The support that they get is enormous. I think that anyone that’s involved in soccer in this town has a very quality product here to work with and it’s a great place for kids to come and play.”
The training was a fourteen-hour course, with a three-hour session on Friday (April 21) and longer sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
“It all ended up with them writing a test which included two video tests. They had to watch situations on the screen and make a decision about them and then they had to answer questions. So that’s part of it. Now they are hopefully assigned to a game and go out and get some practical experience.”
The cost for the Entry Level Clinic was $129.25 but will be reimbursed by the OMHSA upon successful completion of the course and six games worked by the end of the season. Participants had to be at least 14 years of age to register for the clinic.
If you’re looking to catch some action, there will be a U18 Select Exhibition Game on Sunday, April 30 at the OMHSA Soccer Park with kickoff at 1 p.m. between the Kamloops Blaze with 100 Mile players Reid Davidson and Masen Fernandes against the Prince George U18 team.