Alberta Soccer grapples with new guidelines to get players back on the pitch

Alberta Soccer Looking to Get Players Back Between the Lines The Alberta Soccer Association received a five-step outline from Canada Soccer that all member organizations must follow.

EDMONTON — The Alberta Soccer Association received a five-step outline from Canada Soccer that all member organizations must follow in order to resume play under restrictions related to COVID-19.

Each group must produce a plan following provincial, local and public health guidelines before seeking approval from Canada Soccer.

There are more 100,000 players in Alberta.

“I don’t think we’ll get a hundred thousand kids back on the pitch first of all. I don’t think all kids will get back to playing soccer,”  said ASA Executive Director Shaun Lowther.

Soccer certainly won’t look the same going forward as Alberta’s chief medical officerof health pointed out last week.

“Kicking a ball back and forth is fine, but playing a game of soccer is difficult if we say children have to stay two metres apart, so those are all things that are still under discussion,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw Friday, May 8.

Lowther says the ASA hopes to have a plan in place by next week that may allow play to resume in June, but adds there likely won’t be any games.

“The plan will be not games per se, but more training type environments that will allow for social distancing,” Lowther told CTV news.

Some soccer districts in Alberta have already cancelled seasons. As for refunds on player registrations, the ASA says that's in the hands of teams and regional districts.