May 3, 2024

Dear soccer families,

We are thrilled that so many young athletes have enrolled in soccer this year with the Bulkley Valley Soccer Society. The numbers in both the House and Development programs have grown and it is encouraging to see so many young people interested in being active. We are also thankful to all who have stepped up to volunteer. Thank you!

For the sake of our soccer program and our soccer volunteers, I am writing to you on behalf of the board with two requests:

1. We have kids on waiting lists for U8, U10 and U12 in the House Program. More volunteers are needed! 

Our numbers are increasing, and we do not have enough volunteers to make additional teams. We feel badly that we can't accommodate them in our soccer program at this time.  If we could get more coaches, as well as other volunteers, we could get more kids out there on the field. If this is something you would consider,  please reach out to Grace at divisions1@bvsoccer.ca for the House Program, or Georgia at admin@bvsoccer.ca for the Development Program to find out where the needs are. 

2. Please be kind to our volunteers. 
 

Our club has three part time paid staff, whose hours all together over the course of a year euqal less than one full time person and we are thankful for the work they do. In order to keep our fees reasonable and programs running, we depend on our volunteers. Without volunteers, there would be no soccer in the Bulkley Valley.  This year is a record year for people opting to pay fees rather than volunteer, which is an option for sure, but increases the workload for those who do step up. The jobs still need doing. Some of our very dedicated volunteers have been spending 20-30 hours per week, sometimes more, these last few weeks, working hard to organize the House and Development programs and provide everyone with good service. What has been discouraging for them is receiving emails and other communication from some individuals with concerns that are sometimes expressed in ways that discourage them greatly. 

This club has been growing each year, and with that come growing pains. As we plan programming, sometimes there are things that happen we don't foresee and we covet your patience as we welcome kind, constructive feedback. Each fall, we take the feedback people give us and try to use that to make the following season better.

Our request for everyone is that if something is not working, if there is a concern, if there are some communication glitches, or if there is a better way to do something, that you wait twenty-four hours. Then, if you want to offer feedback, feel free to communicate your concerns kindly and compassionately in a way that encourages our volunteers to keep giving of their time rather than discourages them to the point of them wanting to quit. This applies when wanting to speak to a coach, manager, team parent, coordinator, tournament organizer, or anyone, really. 

Thank you for understanding and we look forward to a great season and to seeing everyone on the fields. 

Monique Vanderwart,

BVSS President, on behalf of the board