Back to the pitch on February 3rd

Back to the pitch on February 3rd:

Thanks to everyone who completed our flash survey (104 replies). We also got some delightful comments, for instance:

I would play in a Dome, I would play with Rome. I would play in BA, I would play any day. / Two vacs and booster in me… put me in coach! / Play soccer. Make the world a happier, less angry place. / Cool new logo! / Thank you admin team for all of your work to get us playing. / Please ensure the beer after the game is cold. Very important. / Just play already, I’m getting fat.

• The Dec. 23 and Jan. 6, 13, 20 and 27 games have vaporized into the Omicron void. So we simply pick up normal play as of February 3, with each team having seven games and, as mentioned by someone above, extra pounds under its belt: BASL standings.
• Full, regular league play resumes, that is, points, standings, refs, dry heaves and all. We might add a week or two in May if time and circumstances allow.
• Teams whose full roster isn’t returning will, as much as possible, either have spares of equal caliber assigned to them until their regular players return, or have access to horse steroids.
• The dome will operate at 50% capacity (like before the shutdown), and the same public-health measures apply, including proof of vaccination with a QR code.
• About booster shots: If the province ultimately makes them mandatory, the dome will have no choice but to abide by that. If you’re comfortable with a booster shot, but haven’t yet got it, perhaps now is the time to act, just in case…
• Expect a reminder from TeamSnap Sunday or Monday to a) enter all your availabilities in advance and b) put on a particulate mask before re-opening your soccer bag.

Please take it easy on the pitch:

If you’re like most of us, your exercise regimen since the shutdown has been reduced to bringing wine over to your neighbours as thanks for snowblowing your driveway and to walking to your community mailbox (ok, granted, some of you do that at a brisk pace to remain game-ready). For everyone’s sake and safety, we urge all of you to keep it down a notch as we reacquaint ourselves with kicking a ball and playing in the “romantic candlelight” of the dome:

• NO heavy contact
• NO “full steam ahead” on 50-50 balls
• NO blind-side or desperate from-behind tackles
• NO chest-puffing and nostril-flaring if an “accident” does occur; keep cool, make amends 
• NO nagging at the refs: we’ve again told them to call things very tight.

Safety first. Camaraderie always. J

Outdoor season for 2022:

Just to refresh your memory, outdoor registrations usually start in mid-March (fees to be determined), so please stay tuned for that announcement. We’re aiming for six teams of 17 zombies for the outfield and one crash-test dummy in goal. If society is generally allowed to crawl out from under its rock come the spring, we may be able to start the outdoor season in late May, after the Victoria Day long weekend. Anyway, our usual Potvin-Shefford fields are booked, our refs are lined up, our team sweaters are washed and disinfected, and our team kits and first-aid necessities (read: Scotch, Rub A-535 and smelling salts) are replenished. Sidebar details on sponsorship, possible alternate fields, Founders’ Cup format, renting porta-potties or peeing in the reeds by the sewage plant?, etc. should be settled by April as well.

Semi-annual general meeting and liquidation sale (executive and other positions available at clearance prices):

For expediency’s sake during what felt like the 27^th Covid wave, the March 2021 SAGM was simply cancelled, and all terms of office extended one year. Now, given the renewed uncertainty of being able to gather enough of us indoors, we’ll likely push the 2022 event back to late April or even early May, in the hope we can meet either on a terrace or, by that point, in a large, well-ventilated indoor venue with a well-stocked bar. Please bear with us as we try to figure this out and get all of the agenda items ready.

Support our 2021-22 restaurant sponsors:

We encourage you to order take-out from or, if you feel comfortable next week, visit The Bad Alibi (indoor 2021-22) and the Blackburn Arms Pub (outdoor 2021). And perhaps you’d like to order some sensational suds from our friends at the Whitewater Brewing Company (plentiful beer and door prizes in summer 2021). Let’s help them get their engines revving again despite things only s-l-o-w-l-y opening up (like a clam on Valium).

Your BA executive and defenders of the soccer universe