Membership Benefits Overview
Dear BC Soccer Members and Potential Members,
BC Soccer is pleased to be the largest provincial sport organization (PSO) in BC and the third largest soccer specific PSO in Canada. We believe in the power of soccer and look to develop our game by emphasizing its benefits of active and healthy living while supporting our member clubs, districts, and leagues to strengthen and unite their local soccer community.
This Member Benefits page is designed to provide an overview of the benefits associated with being a member of our association.
Ultimately our goal is to promote continued and sustainable soccer and community development and overall growth for our game in every region of British Columbia. In order to achieve this goal we must ensure all partners are working in collective harmony while also embracing BC Soccer’s Mission of “Developing the game by inspiring British Columbians to lifelong active, inclusive, and team play.”
Many thanks to you all and we, as an association, look forward to continuing our working relationships to develop our game in British Columbia.
Sincerely,
Jason Elligott
Director of Community Development
Why should you be a member of the British Columbia Soccer Association?
British Columbia Soccer Association, through its member districts and clubs, is committed to providing the best services possible to our members. Our Mission Statement – “Developing the game by inspiring British Columbians to lifelong active, inclusive and team play." doesn’t refer strictly to our on-field capabilities but also to our commitment of excellence to our members. We have compiled this information to highlight the programs and services we offer and the overall benefits of being a member of BC Soccer. Our programs and services are the benchmark nationally and other soccer governing bodies in Canada use our materials and manuals to service their programs. BC Soccer is indeed the measuring stick for soccer programming in this country. Why would you not want to be a member of the leading soccer organization in Canada?
Provincial Sport Governing Body of Soccer
When you register with your local soccer club / association, you become part of a family in excess of 150,000 members province-wide and 1,000,000 nation-wide, all of whom share a passion for our beautiful game. The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) is the national governing body for soccer in this country and is the only recognized organization based in Canada that is a member of The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The British Columbia Soccer Association (BC Soccer) is a member of the CSA and is responsible for governing our game in BC, on behalf of the CSA. As a member of your local club / association, you are connected with the organization that selects, develops and operates Canada’s national soccer teams at all levels, both male and female.
Who we are…
BC Soccer is a non-profit provincial sport organization and member of the Canadian Soccer Association responsible for governing amateur soccer at all levels in British Columbia. Approximately 150 soccer associations / leagues, 120,000 players, 2,500 referees, plus numerous volunteers and countless others make our great game possible here in British Columbia.
Our Pupose…
1. Active Play (promoting lifelong physical activity and healthy living by British Columbians).
2. Inclusive Play (promoting respect and harmony through access to soccer by boys and girls, men and women, and all people regardless of origin, age and walk of life).
3. Team Play (promoting collaboration, cooperation and coordination in the pursuit of excellence in soccer and all aspects of life).
Our Responsibilities…
- The association dedicates itself to the advancement of soccer for all individuals in British Columbia through progressive leadership by ensuring meaningful opportunities and enjoyable experiences in a sportsmanlike environment.
- To present a common voice on behalf of the members in all discussions that could affect them at the local, provincial, national, and international level.
- To ensure / compliance of the rules & regulations of the game, and association, as adopted by the association.
- To supervise and carry out the competitions for the championship of British Columbia.
- To elevate the awareness of the responsibilities of the soccer public in ensuring the game is played in a positive environment.
- To assist members in their pursuit of development by providing effective programs and services through available resources.
- To monitor and review services, benefits and programs available to members in order to meet their ever changing needs.
Association’s Brief History…
Organized soccer in British Columbia began at the turn of the twentieth century. The British Columbia Youth Soccer Association was formed in 1907 and joined the national governing body in 1920. Throughout the 1920s, the organization steadily grew and became a leader in soccer both within the province and in the country, a role that continues to the present day.
Originally focused on Youth soccer however over the years another association developed, the British Columbia Soccer Association (BC Soccer) which focused on senior soccer. In the 1990s discussions began to bring the 2 organizations under one umbrella and at the 1998 Annual General Meeting the two associations became one, the British Columbia Soccer Association (BC Soccer), governing both youth and senior soccer for the entire province of BC.
Today …
BC Soccer oversees approximately 120,000 players and 2,500 referees and numerous volunteers with a commitment to excellence in providing a safe and fun learning experience for all members. With current programming, BC Soccer will continue to be at the forefront of bringing exposure and opportunity to amateur soccer in British Columbia.
Uniformity of Rules, Regulations and Discipline
BC Soccer’s Constitution and Rules & Regulations are the voted on, accepted, and potentially amended, within a set process, by the district and league membership of the association.
The Structure of soccer in BC / Canada and your Local Club / District Association / League Role
Below is the structure of soccer in BC and Canada.
For youth players, your local soccer club is a member of the local district association, in turn the district association is a member of the provincial association (BC Soccer), and finally the provincial association is a member of the national association (CSA).
For senior players, your local soccer club is a member of a Senior League, in turn the Senior League is a member of the provincial association (BC Soccer), and finally the provincial association is a member of the national association (CSA).
Your local club is your point of contact where you register to play soccer in your region / area. The local association / leagues organize leagues, schedules, teams, finance transactions, equipment, and uniforms.
By having the below structure in place, each level is represented on the next level up to ensure the ability for your input to be heard at all levels of the soccer hierarchy. The local district associations and senior leagues have their own constitution that control them and the members of that district association / league can effect change locally through the powers entrenched in their constitution. Issues of dispute are to be addressed at the most immediate local level first with appeal capabilities to BC Soccer and even in certain situations to the CSA.
Canadian Soccer Association - National Soccer Association (National Governing Body for Soccer in Canada)
British Columbia Soccer Association - Provincial Soccer Association (Provincial Governing Body for Soccer in BC)
Senior Leagues & Youth District Soccer Associations (Local Governing Bodies for Soccer in BC)
Local Soccer Clubs & Teams
Player
The Structure of BC Soccer
Soccer Membership (Youth Soccer Districts & Senior Soccer Leagues)
BC Soccer Board of Directors
BC Soccer Staff lead by the Executive Director (Bjorn Osieck)
BC Soccer Staff is broken into three departments
- Business Development Department (Finance, Marketing, Sponsorship & Communication)
- Community Development Department (Member Programs, Events, Member Service, Competitions, & Referee Development)
- Soccer Development Department (Grassroots Development, Player Development, Soccer Science, Coaching Development, District Development Centres)
Development Programs
BC Soccer works hard to ensure our programs are new and exciting and we take pride in providing our volunteers with the most innovative tools to allow them to succeed on a daily basis. We develop and distribute, through our development partners, programs to assist our players, coaches and officials, covering such topics as parent education and soccer development. We are very please our development programs are continually used as example at the national level.
Insurance Programs
BC Soccer’s ALLSport insurance coverage is available for players, officials, directors and volunteers who are participating in recognized / sanctioned soccer in British Columbia.
For a complete and detailed pamphlet of our Insurance Coverage please visit the insurance section CLICK HERE
Educational Resources
BC Soccer is proud to be a national leader in player / coach / referee development and education.
For more detailed information on the Canadian Soccer Association / British Columbia Soccer Association Coaching and Referee Certification Programs, please visit the Coaching and Refereeing sections of the BC Soccer website.
Educational Clinics / Courses / Referee Annual Registration
BC Soccer has developed a province-wide online registration / database tool to support coaching and refereeing. The database complies with our Privacy Policy while at the same time providing sophisticated administrative functionality for user, clinic hosts, instructors, assessors, and back end administrators. Access to this system is free.
BC Soccer is only beginning to realize the full benefits of this system and in our assessment, this is just the first, rather than the final step to meeting the complex needs of our association and its stakeholders; therefore, we must ensure that we are looking to advance the operation and process behind all activities BC Soccer administer. Looking forward, it is essential that we aim to have a suitable Member Service Management System / database tool to support player registration, which will in turn significantly enhance the operation and process behind vital areas such as Member Service, Discipline, Appeals, Player Transfers, Competitions, etc.
Once we have an all-encompassing and fully integrated database system for players, coaches, and referees, we will be in a much better position to provide the appropriate level of service to our game.
For more detailed information on the Canadian Soccer Association / British Columbia Soccer Association Coaching and Referee Certification Programs, please visit the Coaching and Refereeing sections of the BC Soccer website.
Competitions
BC Soccer membership offers competitive opportunities in numerous age divisions and levels of competition including league play and hundreds of sanctioned tournaments which in many cases lead to regional and provincial playdowns and championship events.
Competitions directly supported by BC Soccer:
Regional Championships
Youth Interior qualifications for Provincial Championships - Boys and Girls, U13 – U18, 2 tiers
Western/National Championships
Coordinating teams travel to Westerns or National Championships
Provide travel grants for teams traveling to National Championships
Competition organized by BC Soccer:
Regional Championships
Youth Coastal qualification Provincial Championships (Coastal Cup) - Boys and Girls, U13 – U18, 2 tiers
Provincial Championships
Youth Futsal – Boys and Girls, U14 & U16
Youth – Boys and Girls, U13 – U18, 2 tiers
Adult – Men and Women, Open – 2 tiers, U21, Masters/Classics (over 35)
Provide travel grants for eligible teams attending all of the above championships
Westerns/Nationals Championships
Host Westerns or National Championships every 2 – 3 years
Overview of BC Soccer Member Benefits
As a member of BC Soccer, here are a few of the programs members can access:
Soccer Development
Player Development - Club Recreation / Competitive Programming
Player Development - Grassroots Development
Player Development - District Development Centre Programming
Player Development - Provincial Teams Programming (Selected Players)
Player Development - Regional Teams Programming
Player Development - National Training Centre Programming (Selected Players)
Coaching Development - Coaching Advancement Program
Coaching Development - Female Development
Business Development
Communication - Enhanced BC Soccer Website (launch date April 1, 2009)
Communication - Free copy of the quarterly BC Soccer Magazine
Communication - Regular BC Soccer Newsletter updates
Communication - Advertising / Promotion / Media Press Release
Finance - access to fundraising via the National Sport Trust Fund
Sponsorship / Partnership - Member preferred access to discount and special service offerings
Community Development
Competitions - Successfully manage between 7-10 regional, national and international events annually
Event - Annual awards banquet
Event - assessable grants for U12 Jamborees and Festivals
Event - Voice and vote at General Meetings (Annual and Semi Annual)
Member Program - Coaching Development - Educational / Certification Clinics
Member Program - Player Development - Kickin’ in Schools Program
Member Program - Referee Development - Assessment Program
Member Program - Referee Development - Candidates Program
Member Program - Referee Development - Educational / Certification Clinics
Member Program - Referee Development - Head Referee Program
Member Service - Appeals / Protest Process (dispute resolution)
Member Service - Constitution & Bylaws and Rules & Regulations
Member Service - Discipline Policy (Consistent application)
Member Service - Insurance
Member Service - Parent Development / Education
Member Service - Risk Management
Member Service - Sanctioning (Tournament & Travel)
Member Service - Volunteer Development / Education
Why would you not want to be a member of the leading soccer organization in Canada?
BE A MEMBER! SEE THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
Active Play
Inclusive Play
Team Play
PROMOTE POSITIVE SOCCER EXPERIENCES!
British Columbia Soccer Association