The board and staff of the Kamloops Youth Soccer Association (KYSA) want to thank everyone for registering to play and/or for volunteering to help out with this season of soccer. We are so excited about the new season and we hope that you enjoy some of the new programs we are initiating this year. To ensure you are all aware of these changes, please read below:
- We have added three weeks of pre-season training for all our teams, including two staffed sessions at our indoor facility.
- We have added a kick-off Jamboree for all U7 to U12 teams
- We have combined (blended) a few of our age groups: U14s with U15s, and U16s with U17/18s to enjoy the following benefits:
- This creates a larger player pool to allow for more teams in each community/region in town
- Enhances the variety of competition (more teams to play against)
- Varies the strength of teams year over year (30-50% of roster will change each year due to aging in or out)
- Offers varied mentorship / friendship opportunities between players of different ages.
- We’ve synchronized the U13 to U18 play-downs with the U7 to U12 age groups wrap-up jamboree and changed the date of the KYSA Appreciation & Awards Dinner to Saturday, June 23rd to coincide for a great end of season event. Tickets go on sale soon, so save this date and don’t miss out on this fabulous event!
- We added the free “Lead into Spring” drop-in sessions at the KYSA Dome which happened on Mondays from 4:30-5:30pm. We had over 100+ players enjoy each of these free sessions!
- We’ve added the U4 age group to our U5/6 Initiation program.
- We’ve changed the fall portion of our U5 to U12 program FROM a 3 week “Fall ending” continuation, to a spring season only, and added a stand-alone 6 week Fall season. There is still time to register for the Fall season and we have over 750 players already registered. The U4-U6 age group registration will be launched soon too!
- And, last but not least, we will continue to run our free and inclusive summer drop-in program.
One of the things that makes leading the KYSA such a fun and enjoyable experience is working not only with the staff, board and volunteers, but it’s seeing the joy on the young soccer players faces as they fight for a ball, get a goal, make a good pass, save a goal and/or do something that they are proud of with their team mates cheering them on. The KYSA wants to highlight these moments so we are launching a #TOGETHERWEARE campaign!
With this project we hope to bring our membership together and help to showcase all the amazing things the KYSA brings out of our athletes. The young soccer players of Kamloops are strong, determined, skilled, respectful, and hardworking. Together they make up our organization, and it’s time to show everyone all of these great attributes.
As coaches, players, and parents, you are being tasked with the job of documenting moments with pictures throughout the season and telling us what you think these moments represent. It can be anywhere from strength or determination, to goofiness. Show us what your athletes do on and off the field, as a team. Each team will be encouraged to participate and decide what “they are” together, and take a photo with their slogan. Parents, don’t be shy to get a parent group together and tell us what you are as well! We would love to have everyone in our membership participate.
Upload your photos to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #TogetherWeAre and be sure to share your post with @kysablaze so we can see what you are up to and share it with our larger KYSA community. Alternately you can email our new Social Media Coordinator, Nevada Woods, at: nevadabb13@yahoo.ca and we can share them for you on our FB page! We look forward to seeing all of the different ideas and photos you can come up with!
If you aren’t already a follower of our KYSA Facebook and Instagram pages, it’s about time you did so you can follow along with our season, as well as hear about all our new and exciting changes that will be continuing throughout the season. Search for @kysablaze on Facebook and Instagram to find and follow us.
OR if you aren’t a Facebook follower, please check out our newly revamped website at: www.KYSA.net
We are a not-for-profit, volunteer based organization and we are always looking for feedback from our membership, or for volunteers to help us out in various different ways, so if you have any thoughts, ideas or you would like to help out, please feel free to reach out to me at the KYSA office at 250-376-2750 via phone or if you would like to send me an email, please email the office at kysa@telus.net and ask them to forward your phone message and/or email to me.
Thanks again for continuing to support the KYSA, we really appreciate it!
Yours truly,
Candace Dodson-Willis
The KYSA, President