Various levels and courses need participants

The soccer season is well underway for Salt Spring United as the teams are all formed and playing and miraculously the weather continues to hold. Usually one tends to think of rain when the soccer season gets underway.

The best part of this weather has been the good crowds out watching our many youth and adult teams competing, especially decked out in our new uniforms of white, red and black — they definitely all look sharp. With their coaching staff in place and our technical director Josip Brantanovic overseeing this program, as well as adding his own training sessions, we expect to see some good results this season.

The technical committee, led by Brantonovic and Colin Walde, are not only doing their regular player training sessions but this year are doing training sessions for coaches, as well as being game-side for individual instruction. (Details of this will be under coaching on the www.saltspringsoccer.com website.)

Of course there is one more element that our club develops at the beginning of the season and that is the referees program, led by the head referee who happens to be this writer. As usual we need more referees to help cover the games we have scheduled every weekend and so training becomes an integral part of this process.

New referees can enter the program at two levels: entry level for 12- to 14-year-olds or adults who want to learn the laws of the game and referee small-sided games or run lines; or as district referees for youth and adults 14 years and older who can referee all games, based on abilities and age.

Salt Spring United will be offering an Entry Level Clinic for all youths 11 and older and any adults who wish to be an assistant referee (run the side-lines with a flag). The clinic costs $50 per individual wishing to become a referee. (If you’re just interested in the laws of the game or want to run lines for a team, there is no cost.) The fee includes a book on the laws of the game, BCSA badge, referee’s shirt and socks, whistle, flags and a notebook for scores.

The course that begins on Sunday, Oct. 18 will teach the basic 17 laws of the game in a simplified form, as well as the laws for the small-sided soccer games, and will be followed by practical application of the use of the flags and a exam.

The course will run from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Portlock Park portable with the second part initially set for Friday, Oct. 23 (time and place TBA) and will be conducted by Malcolm Legg.

The flag session will occur at Portlock Park on Sunday, Oct. 25 and will be done by Grant Eckberg. This session will be open to all parents who wish to learn how to run lines.

To register for the course please contact Malcolm Legg at 250-537-4970 or via e-mail at mallegg@shaw.ca. Payment for the course is collected at the first session.

Refereeing is a great way for youths and adults to learn the laws of the game, a good way for youths to earn money for doing the games and a great way for individuals to learn how to manage and control a group of athletes. Why not give it a try? Your help is needed by our club.