BOWEN ISLAND FC
BOWEN ISLAND FC MINI HOUSE
Bowen Island FC introduces soccer to young children with its Mini House program which is all about having fun and learning the basics of the sport. Our youngest program is our U5s which is designed for 4 and 5 year olds. We often get requests from parents for children as young as 3 but the Club feels 4 is the right age to start. Sessions at U5 and U6 are limited to 45 minutes, any longer may be a challenge as the children tend to lose focus. At U7 we expand the sessions to an hour and provide hour-long sessions at U8 as well.
Should some players excel at their age level, then consideration will be given to moving them up an age level to encourage their development. Some players who are at the U7 and U8 level man be considered ready to join our youth teams and there have been examples of Mini House aged players playing up wth our youth teams. This would occur only if the Club TD, parents(s) and respective coaches feel it would be in the best interest of the player and his/her overall development.
Our Mini House program is currently offered in the Spring and Fall to best take advantage of best possible weather for soccer. We are looking at adding a winter program in January 2022 depending on the demand. Any questions regarding our Mini House program can be directed to the Club TD.
The age levels are adjusted every Fall so Mini House U5s in the 2020-2021 season will become U6s in September 2021 (the start if the 2021-2022 season).
Under-5 (players born in 2017)
Coaches: Tim Yu
Manager: TBD
Our youngest BIFC team is all about having fun and starting to get used to having a soccer ball at the feet (not the hands!). Kids play games with some super enthusiastic coaches and sessions are 45 minutes. At least one parent is required to stay at training to assist with pee breaks, snack emergencies and possible emotional breakdowns.
Under-6 (players born in 2016)
Coaches: Mike Pover, Alexis Cooper, Christine Hardie
Manager: Sally Pocekovic
The emphasis at this age level is still fun and getting comfortable with the soccer ball at the feet (no hands!). Coaches emphasize basic techniques such as how to trap a ball and how to kick it properly (no toe pegs).
Under-7 (players born in 2015)
Coaches: Adrian Buitenhuis, Alan Schroder, Ivan Jensen
Managers: Kelly Harper, Ben Hart
The focus always has to be about enjoying soccer practices and now we start to work on avoiding the bunching and getting players to spread out and start using their dribbling and passing abilities more.
Under-8 (players born in 2014)
Coaches: Alexis Cooper, Ryan Glancy, Christine Hardie, Joseph Cooke
Manager: Renee Turner
This is when we start to get players used to playing small-sided games and preparing them for league play (U9). We still need to ensure the players have learned their fundamentals on receiving and passing the ball and start to work more on ball mastery and evasive dribbling.