The QYSA is restructuring after a change in demographics in the city.
There was a large bubble of players born in the mid nineties (1994-96) which created higher registrations in their age groups. These kids are now either adults or graduating, so they have left the association. The number of students registered in the Quesnel School district for the grades K through 10 is now quite stable, so the associations believes the numbers should stay stable in the coming years. It does, however, give them some concern when trying to form REP teams in the spring time as the pool of athletes really isn't that large.
With this in mind, the association is launching a new initiative with the other Cariboo youth soccer clubs (Williams Lake and 100 Mile House) called Cariboo United. They hope to bring the elite players together and provide them with further opportunities to develop their skills and hopefully open doors to higher levels of play, such as the BC High Performance League (BCHPL - the highest level of youth soccer in BC) and university soccer.
This winter the girl’s program begins. If that is succesful, they will be able to add boys as well – they didn't have enough response from the boys to properly run a program.
“As we currently have two Quesnel boys that qualified for BCHPL teams, three girls training in the Whitecaps Academy in Prince George and three previous QYSA players playing on the UNBC Women's team, the talent and potential of local players is on par with the rest of the province,” REP coach Gilbert Schotel said.