The Williams Lake Youth Soccer Association has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 spring outdoor soccer season.
WLYSA directors met via Zoom on May 14 to determine a course of action where, ultimately, after reviewing information from the provincial health authority, BC Soccer and ViaSport with respect to a possible return to play amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the decision was made.
“The safety of our players and their families is the key consideration,” the WLYSA said in a letter sent out to members May 20.
“We are still hoping there will be an opportunity to resume programs at some point this summer or in the fall. We would have to have sufficient confidence that we can do this safely, and that measures are in place to mitigate any risks that might arise from a return to play. We will keep everyone updated through our website and social media with our plans to resume programming.”
The WLYSA added, in the meantime, it would like to thank its members for their commitment to WLYSA and thanked them for their patience.
READ MORE: WLYSA watchful of COVID-19 situation as spring season nears
For parents who have paid registration fees and not yet obtained a refund, three options are available:
1.) You can request a refund of your registration fee
2.) You can direct that your registration feeds be held by the WLYSA to be applied against future programming
3.) You can direct that your registration be retained as a donation to the WLYSA.
“This is an extremely challening time for the WLYSA, as our organization is largely funded by registration fees and sponsorships,” the letter states.
“The governments of British Columbia and Canada have not offered an abundance of financial support to organizations like ours in the midst of the pandemic, so any support our members and others can offer to the WLYSA is greatly appreciated.”
For anyone impacted, you can either e-mail the WLYSA administrator at admin@wlysa.com or call 250-392-1103 to leave a message advising which of the three options you would like to select with respect to spring 2020 registration, including the child’s full name when confirming the option for each registration.
“We hope that all our members and their families are well, and look forward to resuming soccer programming at the earliest possible opportunity,” the board said.
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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