NANAIMO — Community football programs are gearing up for local youth.
Atom, peewee, junior bantam and bantam programs for Football Nanaimo are practicing now with games set to begin in early September.
President Dan Fraser said registration has been extremely strong this year.
“Our atom program is full, we have 46 kids there and our goal was 10-12 kids per roster so it’s exactly where we want them. The peewee teams are full with a waitlist.”
Tryouts are ongoing for the junior bantam rep squad with some space left for registrations for the development team.
Anyone looking to play bantam would need to have significant experience and even then, would likely be placed on the practice roster.
Fraser said Football Nanaimo has seen a steady increase in numbers over the last several years.
“We’ve had close to 600-700 per cent increase in numbers since I joined back when I was an atom coach, three years before COVID hit. We’ve been fortunate enough to have a great group of not only coaches, but volunteers that have been working together through marketing and fundraising to keep growing the program.”
Football Nanaimo wants to remove as many barriers as possible for families.
There are payment plan options or financial assistance through programs like Jumpstart as well.
Fraser encourages parents to reach out if they are facing challenges.
“Football’s probably one of the most expensive sports to play, to get equipment for a player it’s about $500 to $700, we provide that for the players. They have to bring cleats and a water bottle, we provide the helmet, shoulder pads, two jerseys, two pairs of socks, pants, all the things they need to play football.”
There aren’t any all female teams right now but Fraser said all levels are co-ed.
“At each age group we have at least one or two girls right now. Anyone is welcome to come and play or to try out at the higher levels.”
Aside from player development and a chance to play games Fraser said community football offers a chance for kids to learn important interpersonal skills.
“There’s a lot of life lessons in football, comparatively to what you’ll come across at work and school. The players that commit are part of a team. There’s not just one kid who’s a star and the team wins.”
More information, including registration, is available on the Football Nanaimo website.
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