‘Lots of smiles’: rovers launch into field

PRESS RELEASE
SIMCOE COUNTY ROVERS FC
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This past weekend, the Barrie Soccer Club hosted the Circle K 2 v 2 Festival Series in collaboration with Ontario Soccer and the Simcoe County Rovers.

This amazing event saw a great turnout of girls and boys in the U8/U9 doubles as well as U10/11 and lots of summer football fun was had by all.

Teams of two enjoyed approximately 40 minutes of play, rotating in a ladder-style game every five minutes, as well as three-minute recovery transitions, ice breakers, dance parties, contests secondaries, swag, prizes and refreshments.

“Ontario Soccer was excited to bring its Circle K 2 v 2 Festivals series to Barrie this past weekend, offering its small game format to maximize fun, excitement and touch of the ball for its grassroots participants,” said Bjorn Osieck, senior director of Ontario Soccer. Business. “We are very grateful for the tremendous community support from our Barrie Soccer Club members to our friends at Simcoe County Rovers who added great energy to this special event.”

Hosting the festival was important to both Barrie Soccer Club and Simcoe County Rovers, says BSC President and Simcoe County Rovers COO Will Devellis.

“It was great to host this unique event and work in collaboration with Ontario Soccer and the Simcoe County Rovers to ensure its success. Having coached and developed players in the Barrie and Simcoe County soccer community for over 18 years, I know we have a talented soccer base that is growing every day,” he said.

“Hosting events like this only strengthens Barrie as a viable soccer hub. We will continue to develop local players like those who came forward today to support the younger generation and provide a pathway for those with professional aspirations. Hosting such events is a great thing. way to do that together with our own efforts.”

Simcoe County Rovers forward and local Barrie soccer player Luc Ihama represented the club and was amazed by the turnout. “It must be great here today. I’ve been here with girls and boys and it’s great to see the development of soccer and talent locally here in Barrie.”

Simcoe County Rovers defender and local Barrie soccer player Isabelle Milne had a great time interacting with the kids. “Today was very good. It was so nice to see how many kids came out to participate. There were lots of smiles and everyone had a good time. My favorite part was probably the goal celebrations. They were a lot of fun.”

This weekend the Rovers host their final doubleheader of the season and celebrate Family Day at JC Massie Field. Family Day sees children get free entry to matches.

First up are the women, who face North Mississauga FC at 2pm After 16 games played, the women are tied at three for sixth with a record of 4-6-6. The women are coming off a draw with Alliance United in their last game, one of the teams they are fighting to overtake in the standings.

The men welcomed the Oakville Blue Devils at 6 p.m. The men defeated the 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 games played, the men’s record stands at 5-5-5, good for sixth place in the closely contested Premier Division.

The men are also preparing for the League 1 Cup semi-final against the Oakville Blue Devils on August 17, venue TBA.

The League1 Cup is a new addition to the 2024 Ontario League 1 season. The tournament format is simple. Win and advance, lose and be eliminated from the Cup draw.

For more information on Simcoe County Rovers FC, including schedule details, ticket purchase options and sponsorship opportunities, please click here.

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