Soccer success in Strathmore

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

As the winter season comes to an end the Strathmore Soccer Association (SSA) is well underway with their spring/summer outdoor programs. Registration is open now and closes at noon on March 26. 

With the new season in the foreground, SSA is looking back on a very successful indoor season.

“Our season has been throughout the club pretty successful,” said Alex Cunningham, President of the SSA. “Individual teams have had their own challenges, but all in all, I think each team is achieving their goals set out at the start of the season.”

Ryan Parkins, Technical Director of the SSA, also stated that the 2022-2023 indoor season saw the largest number of local teams enter the Calgary Minor Soccer Association (CMSA) league and also the highest tiered team in the Strathmore’s history. 

“What this means is that the support of our growing community has enabled us to offer programs suitable to players of all levels and ages,” said Parkins.

While some sports were still under restrictions last year, the soccer community was able to have a full season and if anything, they’ve seen an increase in registrations. 

One area that has yet to catch up since COVID-19 is the coaching certification aspect.  

“It has impacted our ability to offer training to our coaches as there is now a back log of members needing certification,” said Parkins. 

With member number steadily increasing there are bound to be some challenges. 

“Training spaces, regional partner commitments and the escalating costs of delivering our evolution of programming have all provided a challenge this year,” said Cunningham. “With Langdon no longer participating within our district, just Chestermere and Strathmore remain to offer local collaborative leagues … the reality of limited in-district competitors means it may be some time before we are able to have proper provincial qualification pathways and offerings.”

As with any successful sport association, they rely heavily on dedicated volunteers. The commitment needed to fill the coaching spots can be cumbersome, but also rewarding.   

“I think it is safe to say that attracting and retaining coaches is a challenge faced by almost all youth sports,” said Parkins. “With the Standard for Quality Soccer initiative being rolled out by the Canadian Soccer Association, we are able to offer a great framework of entry-level education combined with mentorship to our coaches at all levels of the organization.” 

Cunnigham said that more in-person training is being offered now, which ensure the coaching commitment is top priority. The SSA wants to emphasize that the coaches need to be player-focused and committed to abide by the associations core values. 

“There are a series of online and in-person training and orientation offerings with about 8-10 hours of said training being mandatory,” said Cunningham.  

Adult rec is the newest aspect to the SSA offering outdoor drop-in style twice a week for anyone 16 and over. 

“There is no mandatory commitment and no expectations other than abiding by our player codes of conduct,” said Parkins. “This is a fantastic way to meet others in the community who love the beautiful game while getting a bit of fitness and having a lot of fun.” 

The SSA annual general meeting is on March 22 at 7 p.m. at the Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre. The meeting will be held in person or via zoom to anyone who can’t attend, but would like to participate. If you would like more information or to register for the outdoor season, please visit the SSA website (www.strathmoresoccer.ca).