Whitehorse Coed Masters 1998-99 Annual Report

Yukon Soccer Association AGM, October 22, 1999

Doug Hitch

At the end of our first outdoor season last fall, we moved indoors. We played pick-up games in the small gyms at Vanier and Selkirk, partly because of demand on the large gyms, but mostly because the wooden floors are safer and lead to less injury. AWG rules were not used. Instead, play was 4-a-side, no-contact, with low mouth nets, no goalies, and the ball playable off the ceiling and off all obstructions, including people on the stage. The clientele was different from outdoors with several new faces. This group scrimmaged some rep teams at special weekend times, most often Andy Bjerke's. Those game used AWG rules and the low bounce ball, both of which caused initial befuddlement. We stayed indoors until after the snow finally left, a week or so into the minor season. There is no break between our indoor and outdoor seasons.

In 1998 the Masters played exhibition games against the fifth women's team. In 1999 I expected too much growth to permit this again, but not enough for our own full field league. After discussions with members, I proposed a cross field league, as a way to permit growth and to add a more formal structure as well as a degree of competition, both requested by some members. To my surprise, there were several regular members from outdoor 98 who declined to participate in 99 because they viewed the cross field game as inferior. I hope to work with the men's and women's leagues next summer to promote a six-a-side tournament as a way of raising the prestige of this version of the game.

Partly because of this miscalculation, the number of bodies was lower than expected at season's begin. And since no scrimmages with the women were lined up, we often played a single cross field pick up game. The womens teams were scheduled to practice at Vanier so some did play us anyway, and some played us for the second hour. we used George White again Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 during the minor season and 7 after. Sundays at 7 we scheduled scrimmages with rep and development teams:

All but three Sundays from May 23 to Labour Day had scrimmages. The best turnouts by the Masters were on scrimmage days. Clearly some members prefer more competition than pick up provides.

In all, the Whitehorse Coed Masters registered 30 over-35 male and female players with YSA. Tim Shoniker agreed early in the summer to be minister of finance, and John Pattimore agreed to round out the triumvirate as viceroy. For the summer of 2000, I would like to try again to have scheduled exhibition games with the womens teams. If the Masters are too numerous, some of us will overflow to the Vanier field for a small-sided game.

This winter we moved off the field and onto the floor with the equinox. Our hours are later because of the ever shrinking availability of gym space. An exciting new development is the beginning of a coed indoor league which the Masters are helping start. This is bringing astonishingly large numbers of new faces into the old gyms. This could be as big as softball–and good for the growth of the sport.