(Submitted photo/Duane Krip)

By Ian Gustafson

It's Game Time

Local sports organizations eager to start playing again after getting provincial green light

May 26, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Local minor sport leagues are excited to start playing games again after the Saskatchewan government added outdoor sports to step one of their Re-Opening Roadmap.

This means as of Sunday, May 30, restrictions will be eased so outdoor team sports such as soccer and baseball can resume competition and game play.

The government made the change because the risk of transmission outdoors is low, and the effort made by Saskatchewan residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Technical director of the Prince Albert Youth Soccer Association (PAYSA) Dragan Ivkovic told paNOW it’s great news for them.

“I think we’re all looking forward and I hope we have a nice June of playing soccer,” Ivkovic said.

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“This is very good news for everybody, and I want to say big thanks to them [the government],” he added.

PAYSA is still working through the details but he said they will make new schedules and form new teams in all age groups from five to 11. Also, for the older groups they will have inter-squad games where they will mix their players into teams. They will have the teams set by Monday.

Up until this point teams have only been able to practice in groups of eight on the field and Ivkovic said they will now form teams of 12 and they will play each other.

“After a while I’m sure it’s getting boring for the kids just training with no options to play in games,” Ivkovic said.

Meanwhile, Prince Albert Minor Baseball Association (PAMBA) said they’re excited to start playing.

“Parents and kids alike have been really looking forward to this day they can actually get out there and compete in games,” PAMBA President Duane Krip told paNOW. He added they were awaiting official word from Baseball Saskatchewan.

He explained since the first week of May they’ve held two practices per week. Going forward, they will notify parents when the next scheduled game is and all the protocols that will be in place.

Krip said prior to the announcement several members were in contact with local MLA’s looking for support in a possible return to play.

“One of the biggest issues for us leading up to this was that baseball is normally played in the month of May and June and if we were not allowed to play until the end of June that would wipe out our entire house league season,” Krip said.

Some of their players have been practicing indoors since March at the Alfred Jenkins Field House because they’ve been looking forward to playing games.

“They’ve been at it in practice mode for a long time and it’s just not the same just continuing practice without actually applying everything they’ve been learning in actual real game play,” he said.

To see the government’s full media release on the guidelines on outdoor sports, click here.

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Ian.gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @iangustafson12