HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
Cape Breton soccer teams kick off new season at home this weekend.
Although it’s not officially summer until next month, the unseasonal May weather isn’t stopping Cape Breton FC teams from starting their soccer seasons.
A pair of Cape Breton clubs will open their 2018 Nova Scotia Soccer League seasons this weekend when they take to the pitch for games at Open Hearth Park’s Steel Field in Sydney.
The under-13 boys double-A team will begin its quest for a provincial title when its hosts United DFC at 2 p.m. today. Meanwhile, the under-15 boys double-A club will face United DFC at 4 p.m. today
Cape Breton and United DFC will wrap up their weekend series with games on Sunday. The under-13 team will play at 10 a.m., followed by the under-15 club at noon., with those games also at Open Hearth Park.
“I think fans can expect to see youth from across the province playing at the highest level,” said Ken Currie, vice-president of Soccer Cape Breton.
“Most of our games throughout the season at all age groups are home games in this league, which is good for our fans and our parents.”
The island will be represented in the provincial league by six teams. Along with the under-13 and under-15 boys, Cape Breton FC will also have representation in the under-13 girls (double-A), under-15 girls (triple-A), under17 boys (single-A), and under-17 girls (triple-A) divisions.
Cape Breton will not have teams in either of the province’s under-15 and under-17 boys triple-A divisions. Meanwhile, the island hasn’t had any senior teams in several years in the league.
“We don’t have as many kids show up for tryouts as many other clubs do, particularly the Halifax Regional Municipality clubs, so we don’t quite have the competition to make the highest-level teams (at all divisions) as Halifax teams would,” said Currie.
“In a way that’s positive, it means that most players who are interested and committed to playing at the highest level get to do so — on the other side of the picture, the teams we do have are in tough against the top teams from Halifax that have much larger clubs and a much larger population of kids to draw from.”
With decreasing enrolment in organized soccer, not only in Cape Breton but across the province, Currie said Soccer Cape Breton’s main priority is for the players to enjoy the game.
“Kids tend to enjoy the game more when they’re being successful, but we realize it’s tough for our teams to make it to provincials at the end of the year because only the top half of teams get to the provincials,” he said.
“We will often set that (provincials) as a club goal, recognizing that it’s very challenging to achieve it … it’s more looking at our clubs and deciding how we ensure that the kids enjoy the game regardless of whether it’s wins or losses.”
Despite decreased enrolment, Soccer Cape Breton has seen an increase in the number of teams competing in the provincial league this year, this after the organization was only able to field three teams last year.
Two of the six teams already started their seasons earlier this month.
The under-13 girls kicked off the year with a 4-2 loss to Highland FC on May 6. Meanwhile, the under-15 girls dropped a pair of games, 6-1 and 3-0, to Prince Edward Island, who have been invited to join the NSSL this season.
“P.E.I. is entering teams at many levels this year and with that they enter competitive teams into those leagues,” said Currie. “By the end of May, almost all of our teams will have started their season.”
Currie confirmed all Cape Breton FC games will be played at Open Hearth Park until sometime in July, this as the organization’s main field, Cape Breton University’s turf field, is under renovations.
Once the renovations are completed, games will be split between CBU and Open Hearth Park for the remainder of the year.
Full season schedules for the Nova Scotia Soccer League are available by visiting www.nssl. goalline.ca.