According to Weyburn Minor Soccer spokesman Scott Benning, "This was the best day of the year for minor soccer in Weyburn this season."
Early estimates put over 2,000 players, coaches and family members in Jubilee Park on June 11, where soccer players of all ages had the chance to play in front of family and friends.
"It takes a small army of volunteers to put on the annual Family Day celebrations along with many wonderful sponsors who makes this day a huge success," Benning said.
People made this a daylong event where the warm weather was a major factor in the success of the day. The families stayed around after their games were finished and had lunch and visited the day away.
Youth soccer began in Weyburn in 1976 and has steadily grown over the past 30 years partly to do with the fact that this is the most affordable sport in Weyburn.
More than 600 athletes now take part in soccer programs offered by the Weyburn Soccer Association (WSA). In addition to youth recreation and representative team programs, the WSA prides itself with its close relationship with the high school soccer program and they were heavily involved in the Saskatchewan Summer Games hosted by Weyburn in 2004.
WSA has worked hard over the last number of years to develop its players, coaches and programs. They have initiated team training camps, goalkeeper camps and winter training programs. WSA Rep teams are competitive provincially and continue to exhibit sportsmanship and Fair Play standards wherever they represent their club and city.
The program that best defines WSA is the Soccer Mentoring Program. Every week, time is set aside so that all WSA Rep teams work with the young recreational players in the club. This has helped foster a great camaraderie within the club as well as expose its youngest athletes to the wonderful role models active in the Rep Team program.
