Okanagan soccer club to be in national league

It is exciting times for Okanagan soccer.

Today (Mar. 13) marks marks one year since Covid-19 shut down soccer in B.C. In that time, Okanagan FC has been working to to keep its players engaged with classroom lessons, at-home workouts, video tutorials and distance training.

“The soccer community has responded to those efforts to keep kids engaged in sport, and the club has grown by 150 new players joining since March 13th, 2020 (shutdown date). Nearly doubling in size despite restrictions,” Rod da Silva, Marketing Director, Okanagan FC, told Vernon Matters.

(Okanagan FC photo)

Da Silva said the plans don’t stop there.

In 2019 the club managed to attract crowds of around 700 into the Kelowna Apple Bowl for the return of competitive adult soccer.

“In 2021, with the return of competition, the men will be competing in a new national-level league. We will be live-streaming all of the games and attempting to drum-up big support from the Okanagan community.”

The details of the new national league are expected later this month.

Okanagan FC has also announced a new adult women’s program, the first-ever in the region that will compete at a national level and make a drive to attract crowds and support for women’s sports.

“We have hired a young, locally raised/based female women’s coach who also works with the university team, and a team of local talent that can represent this region at an excellent level of competition,” da Silva explained.

The club is looking to work with local charities and initiatives that give back to the community to partner with for its local game-days, in a push for higher attendances in 2021.

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