Practice and play games on a community based team with your friends! Participate in KYSA tournaments!
The gang welcomes new Executive Director Steph Neystrong and office administrator Shannen Meyer.
Club talk about the season that was and future things coming up.
We would like to officially introduce Steph Neystrong, our new Executive Director, to the KYSA community!
Originally from One Hundred Mile, Steph has a BA in Communication from the University of North Dakota, where she received a full athletic scholarship to play women’s hockey as a goaltender. She played for 4 years as a starter while obtaining her degree. Since then, Steph has been coaching and/or managing hockey for over 10 years in various settings and for various organizations. Most recently, Steph has worked as a Project Coordinator with an engineering consulting company since moving to Kamloops in 2013. Even though her background is primarily in hockey, Steph played Community and Select soccer as a youth!
“Ultimately, I enjoy sports and am passionate about helping youth pursue their dreams through athletics and for the enjoyment, fitness and being a team player that playing on a team brings!”
Steph starts with us in December and is taking over for Missy Cederholm. Missy shifted to a new role with the Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club at the end of August. Missy had a significant impact on our association helping to successfully navigate us through the pandemic and we are excited for her in this new opportunity.
Welcome to the team Steph!
The BC Soccer Association, proponents and governors of a new semi-pro-fessional soccer league titled “League1 BC,” has announced that Rivers FC, a newly formed soccer club in Kamloops, will be one of seven clubs to play in the league, which is set to kick-off in May of 2022.
The provincial governing body of soccer is launching the new league to fill a void that presently exists in the soccer development pathway in British Columbia.
“The board of directors and staff of Rivers FC, and the entire soccer community in Kamloops, is thrilled to have been chosen to participate in the inaugural season of League1 BC” says Rivers FC president, Nick Rinaldi. “The introduction of a semi-professional level of play in BC is another giant step in the player, coach and referee development ladder that bodes well for the future of the game in our province.”
BC Soccer has already announced the names of two of the seven clubs that have been awarded a franchise in the league: Vancouver Whitecaps and TSS Rovers. The remaining participants are being introduced on a weekly basis.
The quest for a franchise in League1 BC has been spearheaded by a group of local businesses, soccer enthusiasts, and Thompson-Rivers University.
Rivers FC will be working hand-in-glove with TRU in the development of current and future WolfPack players, as well as helping young recruits make the transition from youth to adult competition.
“We are proud to partner with Rivers FC,” said TRU director of athletics and recreation and Rivers FC board member Curtis Atkinson. “This initiative will bring another level of high performance soccer to our community, and I look forward to the impact it will have on the future generations of Kamloops’ soccer players.”
League 1 BC will have two divisions––a men’s and a women’s division. The league schedule will run over the months of May, June and July. Each team will play six home, and six away games. There’ll be a one-game final between the first and second place teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season, to determine league champions. The first-place team will play host to the final.
While there is much to do in setting up a new soccer club in a new league, one task that has already been completed is the appointment of three key staff members.
Current TRU head coaches John Antulov (men) and Mark Pennington (women) have been hired to fill the same roles with Rivers FC’s two teams (see P. 7). Their appointments will not interfere with their roles with TRU and will, in fact, complement each other.
Former Kamloops Youth Soccer Association Executive Director Keith Liddiard has been recruited out of retirement to serve as the General Manager of the club.
Players of any age or gender––amateur or professional––are candidates to join Rivers FC. They can be recruited from any part of the province, though it is very likely the majority will be drawn from the Kamloops area.
Rivers FC has been registered as a not-for-profit society with a board of directors consisting of nine individuals. Funding and support for the club’s operations will come from numerous sources, including local businesses, sponsorships, grants, individuals, gate receipts and TRU.
Rivers FC is presently working with the City of Kamloops on two potential sites for its home games: Hillside Stadium & McArthur Island #2 (with enhancements).
While coaches Antulov and Pennington have a very good handle on the soccer talent in the Thompson-Okanagan Region through their roles with their TRU teams, the club will be holding open tryouts in the New Year. Dates, location and times will be broadly advertised.
Registration for KYSA’s 2022 Community Spring League and Spring Initiation Program is now OPEN!
The KYSA Community Spring League is for players of any skill level. The season runs from April through June for U3 to U18 players.
KYSA has planned the 2022 season with an assumption that we will be able to operate a normal season with games and practices.
Important for U8 to U18 players: With the cancellation of the 2020 season and a modified season in 2021, we recognize that many players have not participated in our programs since 2019. As such, we have made some changes to the placement policy for U8 to U18 players this season — please review the new Team Placement policy HERE.
Full details on the Community Spring League and Initiation Program are available HERE.