Youth sports in Clearwater are gearing up for the season.
Both soccer and minor baseball are seeing a lot of interest. The Clearwater Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) announced Monday night they were shutting registration early, due to “unprecedented” numbers registering. Minor ball registration doesn’t open until later in the month.
There are still COVID restrictions in place when it comes to sports, such as keeping distance between players, and there won’t be any games.
Tori Cooke, of CYSA, said they have reached maximum capacity and want to assure the community they are following the guidelines recommended by Via Sport, to keep the players, volunteers and members of the community safe.
The Return to Play guidelines include measures such as hand sanitizing before and after practice, disinfecting all equipment before and after use, establishing designated entry and exit points onto the field, physical distancing of three metres and masks are mandatory when distancing can’t be applied.
In addition, there will be separate practice times for different age groups and the focus of each practice will be on skill development and drills, as no games are allowed until further notice.
There also aren’t any spectators allowed during the practices, except for in the U4 and U6 player divisions.
Clearwater minor baseball will also be following the guidelines, said Tera Carter, and their safety plan will be in accordance with Softball BC and approved by the District.
Those who wish to sign up their kids for minor ball can do so on April 21 in person at the District of Clearwater field from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Alternatively, there will be a sign-up page posted on the Clearwater Minor Ball Facebook page. There is a one-time only fee of $10.
Practices for soccer and minor ball will be on opposite nights.
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