The Italian Canadian Sports Federation is waiving the registration fee for the youngest of their new soccer players. In an effort to introduce the beautiful game to five-year-old boys and girls, the sports club is opening its youngest division for free.
"The more you get them involved in soccer at a young age and the more they like it, the more it stays with them," said the club's director of youth development, Gianni Martinelli. "We want them to be accustomed to playing soccer. We want to give back and we want to make it free."
Anyone who's watched first-graders play soccer knows the joy of disorganized and frenetic exuberance as a dozen kids flock after the ball, each incidental boot sending them to another corner of the downsized pitch.
"It's one of the funnest things as a spectator and parent," said Martinelli, whose two young sons play soccer.
Some kids will love the game, others won't, he said. Some will make sandcastles and chase butterflies, indifferent to the action they're part of. But, said Martinelli, "Then they run by, waving at their parents."
Free registration is intended to encourage parents to introduce their child to the sport with out the pressure of participation if soccer is not a good fit. The sense of, "We paid for this, now you've got to go," is not an encouraging introduction, said Martinelli.
"The commitment level is not as much if you're paying $150." In Vancouver, Under-5 and U-6 soccer registration can cost up to $225 for one season.
The ICSF season begins in mid-September (the date is yet undetermined) and continues through March. Registration includes a jersey, socks and indoor coaching through the winter. Players must supply their own cleats and shinpads.
The ICSF was founded in 1979 and is an East Side cultural hub that, this year, celebrates 30 years as a soccer club. At an anniversary party earlier this summer, clothing memorabilia in the form of a blue jacket with green, white and red stripes styled after the Italian flag was dusted off and displayed with pride--despite the sartorial tackiness.
"It was the most ugly jacket you'd ever seen," said Martinelli. "But if you wore that jacket, you walked so proud."
Although one of his own sons is a committed supporter of Inter Milan, Martinelli is working at making room in his household for the Whitecaps' blue and white colours.
A losing record--the worse in Major League Soccer--isn't helping his cause, but Martinelli is dedicated to supporting the long-term success of soccer in Vancouver.
The ICSF has approximately 300 youth and teenage members and Martinelli wants to triple that number by drawing in new players through free registration for the youngest of new recruits.
For more information, visit icsf.ca/registration.
Twitter: @MHStewart
