Start of soccer season turfed as snow freezes out players
‘DISAPPOINTING’: Pitches from West Van to Abbotsford closed though the weekend
Thousands of Metro Vancouver soccer players will have to settle for watching the game on TV this week as cold and snowy conditions have forced league organizers to postpone the start of the winter season.
Outdoor pitches from Abbotsford to West Vancouver are currently closed, which means practices and games for most leagues in the Lower Mainland have been cancelled through the end of the weekend.
Among those affected are the more than 3,000 players in Vancouver’s largest youth soccer club, Vancouver United.
“The playing season would have started this week,” club manager Peter Delaney said. “It’s frustrating and disappointing not to be able to get out on the fields.”
It’s been a challenging year for minor soccer in Vancouver, weather-wise, and there’s no way to make up the missed games. Some games had to be cancelled in December because of snow and a few games had to be cancelled in the fall due to heavy rain, which led to grass fields becoming waterlogged.
Artificial-turf fields handle the rain much better, but when they’re frozen they’re just as dangerous as natural pitches. And there’s no safe way to remove any snow.
“We have seen situations where some coaches — very gung-ho type-As — get out there with shovels,” Delaney said. But “it’s just potentially too much damage to the turf.”
Vancouver United is currently trying to find indoor gym space where players can practise.
About 235 adult teams play recreational soccer in the Urban Rec league, which was supposed to start its winter season this week as well.
“They just want to get out and play, because it’s actually stunningly gorgeous outside,” Urban Rec managing partner Steve Laing said. “We haven’t even finished off our fall season because ... of the snow that hit in December.”
It’s not just soccer, either. The Pacific Coast Field Lacrosse League has also delayed the start of its winter season until at least Jan. 14 because of the field closures.
Municipal fields across the Lower Mainland are inspected regularly to see if they’re safe to use. Surrey’s acting manager of parks Tim Neufeld said that freezing temperatures are a bigger concern than snow cover.
“When it freezes, obviously you have a very hard surface and it’s not safe for playing on,” Neufeld said. “We’re always concerned about potential damage to those turf areas ... but first and foremost it’s about public safety.”