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Gearing up for another wonderful season, the President of the South West United Soccer Association, Jennifer Beard, believes this may be the best year yet.
Beard talks about the ages and how it differs from the Boissevain Soccer Association. "We deal with kids that are between 13 and 17 years of age. In our case, we are a member of the Westman Regional Soccer Association, the other members include the Brandon Youth Soccer Association, the Rivers Youth Soccer Association and the Minnedosa Soccer Association. Our games are played in Brandon and Minnedosa, as well as Boissevain, as it's where the U15 and U16 teams play out of."
The positive response to this program has been something that has stood out for Beard. "It kind of varies year by year, but it's also been increasing every year. These are kids that love to play soccer. We're playing against teams that have played together for years. Our players come from Killarney, Boissevain, Deloraine, Waskada, Wawaneesa, Souris, Nesbitt, and we're coming together for the first time when they're 13-years-old. They come together as one team. There's a learning curve, but I just want them to go out and play soccer, learn about the game, it's more structured, more technical and it's really for love of the game."
Not only the President, but Beard also coaches, something she's loving as players develop a greater skill set and a higher IQ for the game. "By the time they've hit our age groups, they've started to know the position and the field play. Now, it's all about working together as a team. Working on the strategy as teamwork on the field. It's great if you have a Messi on your team, but he can't play every single position. You want to have a team that supports each other, have that fun aspect and enjoy the game. While we're not as competitive as the Westman Football Club, we are more competitive than the U12. It's really about teaching them the difference that way. It's not just teaching them the technical side, but also about them having fun, that's what will really help them. Hopefully, they can then work their way up the ranks."
One player in particular Beard highlighted has gone through the programs and is now in a great position. "We have one player who started off in the Boissevain Soccer Association and he went through the South West Soccer Association and now he's actually playing on the Westman Football Club. He's gone up the ranks and it all comes from the love."
For people still wanting more information, to ask questions, become a coach or referee, Beard says it's very easy and they're eager to hear from you. "We have our Facebook page, (Facebook), there's more about everything on WestmanSoccer.ca, as well as they have a Facebook page."