Taber Soccer Association desperately needing volunteers for new season

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By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

While it certainly doesn’t feel like soccer weather outdoors, those at Taber and District Soccer Association are gearing up for a new season — and they are reaching the critical point of needing more volunteers in order to run a season.

While every year is different, the group is at the point of planning where they need to secure a handful more before the 2022 season arrives.

“Volunteers for the Taber and District Soccer Association are very important. Without volunteers, it is impossible to run an organization as big as ours. We typically have anywhere from 300 to 400 players registered and need help to make sure the season runs smoothly and is enjoyable for everyone. We are looking for numerous roles to be filled including directors of age categories, a website coordinator, and a registrar,” explained Aleah Weiss, vice-president of Taber and District Soccer Association. “We need at least five to seven volunteers before we can start planning. Every age group should have a director in place before registration opens as the work typically starts around then.”

With 2021 nearing its end, the group hopes to have those positions filled before the calendar flips to the new year. Registration for players is coming quickly in the new year and that can’t happen until they fill a few of the critical holes they see currently.

“In order to run a 2022 season, we need volunteers in place before the end of this year. January is usually when online registration opens up to the community, but without help, we will not be able to start registration and run a season,” added Weiss.

The ability to run a soccer program for Taber and area kids is incredibly important as it gives kids a chance to play a relatively cost-effective sport compared to others. And with the sport starting to gain tons of traction within Canada, the group is hoping to be able to give all kids an opportunity to play the game. Like everything else, COVID-19 has hampered the traditional soccer season over the past few years, but once they have the needed volunteers, the organization is hoping to put together a more familiar schedule in line with pre-COVID years.

“We are excited to have kids back on the field playing a game they love. COVID has really impacted our soccer season for the last two summers and we are hopeful we will be able to return to normal. We would love to offer tournaments this year as well as start building teams we can send to Provincials in the future. Before COVID, we were in talks with different communities to expand our league play and we are hopeful that we can continue those talks now and add more teams and competition into the mix,” continued Weiss. “It’s very important to have organizations such as ours in the town. Kids need an outlet where they can learn new skills and have fun and we have always prided ourselves on being able to offer this to the community. Playing sports, like soccer, offers kids social interaction where they can work together as a team toward a common goal.”

If you are interested, or know someone who may be interested in volunteering with the Taber and District Soccer Association, they are asked to get in contact with Weiss.

“If you are interested in joining the soccer board or have any questions about joining, please reach out to me at weissaleah@gmail.com. We will work with you to ensure you enjoy being a board member and we all provide a successful season,” added Weiss.

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