Canmore Minor Soccer embarked on a new chapter in league history, Saturday (May 7), when Bow Valley players participated in their first game as members of the Calgary Minor Soccer League.
Five teams with 20 players each from the Bow Valley will participate in Calgary’s competitive league, playing one or two games a week for the bulk of the spring and summer.
The move is a big change from previous years, as Canmore Minor Soccer has decided to split their competitive representative league players from regular house league play.
“This was a way of meeting the demands of players at all levels,” said Canmore Minor Soccer president Ken Davies. “We had players that wanted more than recreational league soccer and wanted to maintain a recreational league for everyone else.”
Davies said the rep and house league teams can co-exist. Even with the loss of more than 100 players to the Calgary league, Canmore Minor Soccer still has high enrolment and the same number of teams, and Davies said there was no desire to change the house league teams.
“We haven’t seen a change from last year,” Davies said. “The teams are more or less the same.”
There are a few spots left on the house league teams.
The move means more travel and higher costs for the rep league players. Canmore recreational league play costs $80 per athlete, while entry into the Calgary league is $350 a player. About a quarter of recreation league players also play on rep league teams.
Transportation policy has been put in place and Davies said despite the cost, some athletes, coaches and their parents want to take part in a higher level of soccer. Players and families who find the cost prohibitive can receive assistance through Bow Valley KidSport.
Davies said he’s aware of the cost barrier and has no intention of making the rep league exclusive to affluent families.
The demands on rep league players are also higher, as their season will be three weeks longer and they will be asked to practice twice a week on top of game play.
While no Calgary Minor Soccer league games have been set for Canmore, Davies said he hopes to see that change in the future. Canmore has already been selected to host re-scheduled rain delay games and he believes more games should be held in the Bow Valley in the future.
Davies witnessed the first Canmore game, a 3-1 win by Canmore’s U-16 girls team at Encana field, where Kristen Howard scored two goals. Davies noted the quality of the Encana soccer field was extremely high, and he’d like to see the Town of Canmore upgrade its soccer facilities.
Currently, the league has booked time on local ball diamonds and at the Canmore Nordic Centre for practices.
