After months of planning, a scorching hot September Saturday saw us finally take to the field as a United Club, Union FC™. A successful launch weekend kicked off our Fall season as we opened a new chapter for soccer in our community.
After an unusually late finish to the outdoor season, October 31st 2020 saw us draw an end to our seven week fall programs and move indoors for the winter season, which began on November 2nd.
The 10 weeks since our launch on September 12 have simply flown by and following the arrival of our new Training Threads from uniform supplier Inaria, our transition into Union FC™ is almost complete.
Having hosted three tryout weekends in September, the Club was completely overwhelmed with the level of interest in Union FC™. We had over 350 players tryout for our competitive programs and have welcomed lots of new faces to the Club, with many talented players joining us as we embarked on our new journey.
The response and interest level to date confirms that our aim to be the destination Club and sporting heartbeat of the community, by uniting people through soccer and sport, is going to work.
The only thing missing up to this point has been competitive league competition. However given the circumstances we are all living through [Covid-19], we’re happy to wait a little bit longer until we can safely tackle that prospect.
The Club had originally entered Winter Leagues, with teams set to compete in the PISL and GTISL. Unfortunately, after lots of discussion behind the scenes, the Club unanimously agreed that with the uncertainty regarding the Covid-19 situation across the Greater Toronto Area, the risk was too high and the Club would not compete in these leagues as planned.
This was a such difficult decision to make, as we desperately want to see our teams play and our players continue to develop, but safety will always be the first priority for all of our Players, Staff and their families.
With league competition ruled out for the immediate future, the Club sought to extended our outdoor field permits, so that we could play as many inter-club games as was feasibly possible, taking into consideration the dropping temperatures and increasingly wet weather that was setting in.
The Club wishes to thank all of the Staff at the Town of BWG Parks & Recreational Services Department, who were tremendously accommodating and allowed us to use Henderson Field right up to October 30th. Both the Club and Town’s Groundstaff continued to maintain the field right up to the final day to protect the playing surface as much as possible.
That last day saw the final game of our outdoor fall season between our 2004 Girls and 2005 Boys teams, which kicked off at 8:30pm, in -5º temperatures, a far cry from the blazing 30º temperatures when we kicked off in September! After seven weeks of continuous use, it’s fair to say that Henderson Field held up superbly.
Union FC™ would also like to express our gratitude and thanks to all of our members, players, parents and coaching staff for following the strict Covid-19 Protocols that the Club has implemented. This was a key requirement that allowed us to safely operate and enable our players to continue to play. These protocols will continue to be in place, following rules and guidance from both the Provincial Government and Ontario Soccer, until it is safe enough for them not to be needed.
Finally, as we move our operations indoors to the Bradford Sports Dome, the Club would like to say thank you to those operating the facility for their ongoing efforts in following Covid-19 guidelines, providing a safe playing environment and enabling soccer programs to be run for our membership.
As a result of the implemented protocols by the Club and the Facility Operators, our transition to the winter season and move inside to the Bradford Sports Dome has been smooth, allowing our coaching staff to focus on training as we look forward to the Spring.
Exciting times are coming,
For Us All.