British Columbia News

Members and guests from across BC came together in Richmond this past weekend to celebrate the last 12 months of soccer in the province! Jason Elligott, BC Soccer Executive Director commented that “It was great to be back in-person with the many individuals that support soccer from across the province. It was also great to have focused workshops and presentations around Safe Sport, Strategic Planning, and player, Coach and Referee Development. Having Allison Forsyth leading the safe sport session was extremely valuable and we are so pleased to have a strong partnership with her company, ITP.” Many of the key initiatives from 2021-2022 is captured in BC Soccer’s Year in Review document linked here: READ the 2021-2022 Digital Year in Review document Board Director Elections BC Soccer’s voting delegate members elected the following Board Members to a 3-year term: - Ralph Luongo, Vice President Adult - Andrea Benton, Director-at-Large - John Charlton, Director-at-Large - Don Dancey, Director-at-Large Ralph, John, and Don being re-elected for their respective positions while Andrea being elected as a new board member. Landon Ling did not seek re-election to the board. BC Soccer thanks Landon for the valuable contributions made to the Association Bylaw Amendments Update At the meeting, bylaw amendments were considered and voted on by the voting delegates members: linked here is the complete Bylaw Amendments Package POST AGM. Workshops In addition to the official business conducted on Saturday morning at the Annual General Meeting, BC Soccer’s commitment to increased engagement and providing value to members included several workshops for attendees. Friday’s Technical Lead’s workshop focused on the development of players coaches and referees, and the delivery of new programs and services over the coming months. BC Soccer’s Director of Soccer Development Chris Cerroni led the workshop: “Over the past couple of years, there has been a lot of work done in the soccer development world, the majority of which was built around stakeholder engagement/feedback. We’re very excited about some of the imminent initiatives in referee, player and coach development which we think brings value to our members, particularly the grass roots organizations.” Saturday afternoon featured a Strategic Plan update and interactive workshop facilitated by Jason Elligott, BC Soccer Executive Director and Gayle Statton, BC Soccer President. The schedule concluded with a Safe Sport workshop led by ex-Olympic Skier Allison Forsyth, COO of ITP Sport, the independent agency which now manages BC Soccer’s Discipline, Complaints and Appeals. Gabriel Assis, Director of Soccer Operations stated, “Allison’s passion, resilience and commitment are inspiring. It highlights to all of us involved in our sport the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment for all participants of all ages. We look forward to entering Phase 2 of our collaboration with ITP Sport, that will see a more cohesive and efficient process for intake, triage and response to discipline, complaints and appeals.”

BC Soccer 2022 Award Banquet On the evening of November 5th, the Association hosted the first ever live inductions to the “Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia”. The Hall of Fame, instituted in 2019, recognizes and celebrates the achievements of BC’s most outstanding soccer players, coaches, referees, builders and teams and organizations of distinction. The 2022 Hall of Fame Induction class featured: Roy Nosella (Player) Josh Simpson (Player) Clare Rustad (Player) Larry Louis (Player) Sven Haberman (Player) Brian Hughes (Coach) Michelle Pye (Referee) Jim Lamond (Builder) Keith Millar (Builder) UBC Alumni Women 1996-2003 (Team of distinction) Victoria All-Stars 1951 (Team of distinction) Kamloops Youth Soccer Association (Organization of Distinction) North Shore United (Organization of Distinction). Linked here is a fulsome description of the 2022 Hall of Fame Induction class. The event also recognized the contributions by individuals to BC Soccer.

The 2022 BC Soccer Annual Awards recognized the following individuals: Award of Merit: Brad Hlasney Award of Merit: Joe Bell Player of the Year: Cole Toupin Coach of the Year: Jamie Pond Administrator of the Year: Sheryl Turner Referee of the Year: Dieter Trenkel Special Recognition: Don Taylor NCCP Coaching Award: Joe Jutty President’s Award: Joe Basic AC Sanford Award: Rob Lennox Life Membership: Doug Ross Life Membership: Ruben Tremarco For more information on the significance for BC Soccer awards, visits this page. Sincere thanks!

BC Soccer sincerely thanks the delegates and members who attended this year’s AGM weekend activity and look forward to another successful year of creating positive soccer experiences.

BC Soccer is pleased to welcome PJ Aucoin as the new Manager of Competitions for the organization. A proud husband to Pam and father of two prospect soccer players, PJ spent is joining the Association after spending the last 10 years in the sports and entertainment industry with Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, Edmonton Entertainment Group and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. With vast experience in Leadership in Business Operations, Game Operations, Marketing and Events he spearheaded the transition and integration of the Toronto Argonauts into Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. In the new role with BC Soccer, PJ will lead the areas of competition development, enhancement of game day environments at BC Soccer competitions and support the delivery of key BC Soccer programs, including Provincial Championships, BCSPL and League1 BC. PJ’s Career achievements include award winning Game Presentation with the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and working the 2016 Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The new addition to the BC Soccer staff joined the team on Wednesday, November 16th.

FIVE CLUBS MERGE TO BECOME BURNABY FC

There's a new club in town.

We are pleased to announce the amalgamation of Mountain United FC, Cliff Avenue United FC, Wesburn Football Club, Burnaby Girls Soccer Club, and the inclusion of Burnaby District Metro Teams as an important strategic union bringing youth players, coaches, staff, volunteers, and parents under one club: Burnaby Football Club. Burnaby is one of Canada’s largest soccer-producing cities, yet it is one of the few regions which does not have a fully integrated club to develop and nurture players through their soccer-playing path at different technical levels. Under the current structure, we have a multi-tiered system operating in different organizations. The new organization looks to bring a comprehensive technical and operating infrastructure to yield a superior experience for the players. Burnaby FC embraces a positive culture and facilitates a movement to improve the youth sports culture in Canada to one that encourages high-quality coaches and environments that support positive youth development and social-emotional learning and well-being.

Burnaby FC would like to welcome the new appointment of President; Guido Titotto formerly Cliff Avenue President. Guido will be joined by the following former club representatives named as Burnaby FC Directors: Mountain United FC – Mario Montagliani and Joseph Nakhla, Cliff Avenue United FC – Richard Orazietti, Tanya Zambrano, and Andrew Blunt, Wesburn FC – Michael Iallonardo and Sandra Idema, Burnaby Girls Soccer Club –Tom Berry “We are extremely fortunate to welcome a well-rounded board of professionals who hold in-depth knowledge of the community and its soccer clubs. The strength and the experience of our board members ensure we will be very well positioned for years to come in this new and dynamic consolidation of clubs,” said Titotto. For the next few months, members can expect little change to current programming and operations while BFC transitions to the new club which will begin as of January 1, 2023. Through the amalgamation and development of the new club, we will continue to work hard to create a soccer experience where youth gain the skills to stay active and healthy for life. This new structure will follow the Canadian Soccer Pathway while keeping fees in line as we join together. The new BFC kit will first be used by BFC teams on the pitch for our September 2023 season. Current club kits will be used until the new kit is distributed next summer. Burnaby FC will be led by Technical Directors, Lee Tregonning and Kevin Julian. Current U13-U17 teams will remain together with very little player movement. As players develop at different rates, some players will move to a higher division and some players possibly move down a division if it is in the best interest of that player’s long-term development. Social media collaboration is underway among all four clubs. For current information on Burnaby FC, we encourage you to visit our welcome page at www.burnabyfc.com. We hope to have our new social media sites available in the New Year and new website available by April 2023. “I believe this is a proud and special moment for the City of Burnaby and the local soccer community, as it will be the coming together of well over 3,000 youth soccer players (girls & boys) to help grow the beautiful game here in Burnaby,” said Titotto. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements including our Burnaby FC Executive Director, club logo, and kit. Burnaby FC will be the largest soccer club in the City of Burnaby aiming to be the “Best in Class.”

SURREY FC SIGN GOALKEEPING COACH

We are proud to welcome Jasdeep Lally as the New Goalkeeping Coach for Surrey FC. There is more to being a goalkeeper than just saving shots. The goalkeeping coach’s job is to help the goalkeeper use every ounce of their potential. This makes them an essential part of any team, they bring a unique and essential skillset to the coaching staff and have immense value for players on their team. They can help players learn new techniques, and provide guidance in training situations at the tactical level as well as technical game resolutions. At our club, we are excited to announce the addition of Jasdeep Lally as our new goalkeeping coach. Jas graduated from the University of Victoria in kinesiology where he also assisted in the management of varsity athlete injuries and conditioning programs to allow athletes to return to their game. Throughout his academic career, Jas has been heavily involved in soccer and community work. He spent 5 years as a student-athlete as a member of the University of Victoria Vikes soccer program and was a full-time member of the Whitecaps programs (2010-2014). As a registered Canadian soccer coach (2013-2020) responsible for planning training sessions, running academy programs and mentoring the youth community, Jasdeep Lally brings a wealth of practical knowledge and insight to Surrey FC. He recently graduated from McMaster University’s MSc Physiotherapy program. He is a highly motivated individual who is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and a strong advocate for health and wellness. “Jas will bring a vast set of skills and knowledge to Surrey FC this Fall,” said Technical Director Paul Bahia.

With a deep understanding of what it takes to be a great goalkeeper coach who knows which button to push on his player, our new coach comes in with the right expertise. He has a vast coaching experience at Toronto High Park FC – OPDL where he worked as an assistant coach + Goalkeeping Coach (2012-2021), at west castle FC- Strength + Conditioning (2019), and at Surrey FC- (2013- 2020). The sky is no limit when it comes to maintaining a high level of knowledge and skill in this profession. Our new coach proved that by getting a C License Training certificate, as well as Goalkeeper Diploma. He is currently pursuing Youth License for goalkeeping and CERTIFIED STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SPECIALIST (CSCS)NSCA which shows his commitment to mastering the skills and passion for development in this sport. Moreover, Jas’s impressive track record in the game speaks for itself- he played at 2013 U16 National Champions, Surrey United2013-2014, and Pegasus Men’s VMSL – Current. It’s important to have the right person for the team and we believe that Jas’s expertise will be a huge asset to our team, helping us develop top-quality keepers for years to come. His passion for the game and dedication to development will be key as we work together. 43