City, Youth Football, and Classics Soccer Resolve Scheduling conflicts
The City of Duncan, Cowichan Valley Football Association Board, and Cowichan Classics/Masters Soccer would like to take the opportunity to comment on recent stories related to the use of the Rotary Field.
There have been issues with the scheduling of the Rotary and McAdam fields this year. In particular, there has been a lot of discussion around the City’s move of Youth Football to McAdam on Wednesday nights, and the City’s insertion of a Classics/Masters Soccer group into the 6pm ‐ 8pm slot on Rotary for Wednesday nights.
“Unfortunately, the lack of clear policy guidance for staff members tasked with the duties of scheduling, has resulted in an untenable personal attack of one of our valued employees, Operations Manager Len Thew. Mr. Thew has served the City for over 25 years and is a generous and active member of the community. Mr. Thew and all City employees deserve respectful treatment when conducting their duties” Mayor Phil Kent stated.
“The cause of the situation is not something that can be placed on one employee. It was a failing of City policies and processes, and the City is working to rectify this situation for future scheduling. I want to thank the CVFA and Cowichan Classics/Masters Soccer for their patience and cooperation in helping to resolve this issue for the benefit of all users of this facility. City Council appreciates that the CVFA Board expressed their scheduling concerns directly to the City, and that the personal attacks were not condoned by the Board” added Mayor Kent.
Loretta Copley, CVFA President states “The CVFA Board wishes to also take this opportunity to address comments that were made both to the City and the media related to a City employee’s perceived involvement in the allocation of field times. The Board wants to clearly state that these comments did not and do not reflect the viewpoint of the board of the Cowichan Valley Football Association. We do not believe that those type of comments or unfounded allegations are appropriate nor do they reflect the sportsmanlike conduct that we instill in our players. In addition, it should be noted that Mr. Rutherford does not have any current affiliation with the CVFA or its Board. However, we deeply regret the situation that was created regarding the scheduling of Rotary Field.”
“The CVFA Board is pleased that we were able to continue to work with the City of Duncan to achieve a compromise that is satisfactory to all parties involved. The CVFA teams will practice on Wednesday nights from 7 – 9 pm on Rotary field starting October 22nd. We will also make arrangements for our younger players to have access to a facility at a slightly earlier time slot. We will continue to support the City as they work to ensure a fair and transparent process for field allocation moving forward.” stated Michelle Conville, CVFA Vice President.
Martin Best, Organizer, Cowichan Classics/Masters Soccer offers, “Cowichan Classics Soccer were not aware, until well after the booking confirmations, of the fact that kids would be displaced. Cowichan Classics/Masters Soccer is a club of 70 plus players age 45 to 75, most of them playing in the Vancouver Island Soccer league, and many are coaching youth sports. The club simply asked for a time slot like other users, and Mr. Thew had nothing to do with this request. The club members support youth sport and are happy that a compromise was able to be reached.”
The City of Duncan, CVFA, and Cowichan Classics/Masters Soccer look forward to continuing to work together in a way that promotes youth sport in the Cowichan Valley and a place to play for all kids.
For further information please contact:
Cowichan Valley Football Association
Loretta Copley, President
250‐588‐9445
City of Duncan
Mayor Phil Kent
250‐709‐0186
Martin Best
Cowichan Classics/Masters Soccer
250‐701‐7064
