This past weekend saw the Barrie Soccer Club host the Circle K 2 v 2 Festival Series in collaboration with Ontario Soccer and the Simcoe County Rovers.
This amazing event saw a large turnout of girls and boys in the dual banded U8/U9, as well as U10/11 age and a whole lot of summer soccer fun had by all.
Teams of two enjoyed about 40 minutes of playing time, rotating in a ladder-style play every five minutes, as well as three-minute recovery transitions, icebreakers, dance parties, sideline contests, swag, prizes and refreshments.
“Ontario Soccer was thrilled to bring its Circle K 2 v 2 Festival Series to Barrie this past weekend, delivering its small sided game format to maximize fun, excitement and touches on the ball for its grassroots participants said Bjorn Osieck, Ontario Soccer senior director of business. “We are most grateful for the tremendous community support from our members of the Barrie Soccer Club at our friends at the Simcoe County Rovers who added great energy to this special event.”
Hosting the festival was important for both the Barrie Soccer Club and the Simcoe County Rovers says BSC president and Simcoe County Rovers COO Will Devellis.
“It was great to host this unique event and work collaboratively with Ontario Soccer and the Simcoe County Rovers to ensure success. Having coached and developed players in the Barrie and Simcoe County soccer community for 18-plus years, I know we have a talented soccer base that is growing by the day," he said.
"Hosting events like this only solidifies Barrie as a viable soccer hub. We will continue to develop local players like the ones who showed up to support the younger generation today and provide a pathway for those with professional aspirations. Hosting events like this is a great way to do that in conjunction with our own efforts.”
Simcoe County Rovers forward and local Barrie soccer player Luc Ihama represented the club and was blown away by the turnout. “Great time out here today. I was here with little girls and boys, and it’s great to see the development of soccer and talent at the local level here in Barrie."
Simcoe County Rovers defender and local Barrie soccer player Isabelle Milne had a great time interacting with kids. “Today was really good. It was so nice to see how many kids came out to participate. There were lots of smiles and everyone was having fun. My favourite part was probably the goal-scoring celebrations. They were highly entertaining.”
This weekend sees the Rovers host their last doubleheader of the season and celebrate Family Day at J.C. Massie Field. Family Day see kids get free admission to the matches.
First up are the women as they face North Mississauga FC at 2 p.m. After 16 matches played, the women sit in a three-way tie for sixth with a 4-6-6 record. The women are coming off a tie against Alliance United in their last match, one of the teams they are battling to overtake in the standings.
The men welcome Oakville Blue Devils at 6 p.m. The men defeated ProStars 2-0 on Wednesday night, with winger Ijah Halley scoring in the first half and winger Shawn Claud Lawson adding some insurance late in the second half. After 15 matches played the men’s record sits at 5-5-5, good for sixth place in the very tightly contested Premier division.
The men are also preparing for the League 1 Cup semifinal versus Oakville Blue Devils on Aug. 17, location to be determined.
The League1 Cup is a new addition to the League 1 Ontario 2024 season. The tournament format is simple. Win and advance, lose and be knocked out of the Cup draw.
For more information on the Simcoe County Rovers FC, including schedule details, ticket purchase options and sponsorship opportunities, please click here.
