Soccer Is Back

PG Soccer Association back on the pitch after two-year hiatus

Jul 13, 2021 | 9:11 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Prince George Soccer Association held their first games of the season last week, which was the first time they’ve played since 2019.

Despite the long absence and the caution that some people still have, their numbers are far better than they expected.

“We actually had more numbers than I thought we were going to have,” said BJ Barth, Treasurer for Prince George Soccer Association. “We have close to 500 people registered and we haven’t seen eight teams in the men’s division for five [or] six years.”

And after such a long time since they were last on the field, just getting out to do something once again, has been a blessing.

“I think everybody is just happy to get out of [the] house and have the camaraderie. The board has put a lot of work into it and we couldn’t be happier,” says Barth.

And with a society that has gone through the pandemic with an extra focus on people’s mental health, this was a step in the right direction.

“We’re all worried about mental health nowadays, so I think it was very important to get out here, get some physical activity [and] get our mental well-being going.”

It was also a great opportunity for people to get out, watch some sports, play some sports and just socialize in general.

“[It was] super important to come out, hang out, just have that social element [be]cause I think we’ve all missed that over the past 18 months to two years,” says Barth.

And for everyone who’s involved, they are all just easing back into the game they love, with absolutely no complaints in being back.

“I think they’re excited to come out, just to ease back into the season, so that’s been positive [and] overall no complaints so far and we’re totally happy.”