North Surrey Football Family,

It was a hard morning to get the news that the VMFL has had to cancel the rest of the season. The latest numbers and travel restrictions definitely brought things to a quick halt. I wish we could have seen it out the end, I know the kids were looking forward to it.

I would like to thank each of you, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, babysitters, neighbours… whoever took the time to support the kids this year in their journey and bring them to practices and games. I would especially like to thank you for trusting North Surrey Football with their safety. All of our volunteers from executive to coaches, managers and trainers, knew going into this there would be bumps, but over everything, the kid’s safety is always our first concern. Many of you had tough decisions to make about participation this season and we understood that. So thank you for trusting in us.

When we started practices in July, we didn’t know if we would be able to have any games, but with guidance from our Provincial sports authority and the hard work of the executive team and league, we were able to show that we could play football, that Cheerleaders could cheer and stunt through these uncertain times.

There are still some season wrap up activities including team pictures, cheer pageant and equipment/uniform return, so please keep in contact with your teams as information will be shared with you.

This will definitely be a Football & Cheer Season to remember, and here’s to hoping that things can go back to normal in 2021. I miss our game days with the burgers and fries cooking, music playing, bleachers full of fans and kids playing together long after their games are done. I want to go back there and I am sure you do too.

Watch out for information in Feb/March about plans for the 2021 season.

Again, THANK YOU!! We appreciate you all and wouldn’t be able to do any of this if it weren’t for you believing in us and being a part of our #footballfamily.

Jean McPherson

President, North Surrey Minor Football

Each year the Vancouver Mainland Football League (VMFL) will award a $500.00 education grant to a qualifying Bantam player, Midget player and Senior Cheerleader. However in the event a player receives a grant at the Bantam level, the player will not be eligible at the Midget Level. Players and Cheerleaders must be in their senior year of each level (17 year olds are permitted at the Midget and Cheerleading levels). The grant is to be used for post secondary education at the university, college, Technical or vocational level. Correspondence or night school programs may not be acceptable.

Players wishing to be considered for a grant must apply in writing to the VMFL Education Grant Committee by December 31 of the current year. All references, including academic records, must accompany application.

Application and Rules

Week 8 Games Cancelled

Week 7 Revised Schedule

Week 3

Due to Covid limitations we will be playing at limited fields this season, Please pay close attention to the field your team is scheduled at.

Please note!! Most fields have limitations on spectators due to Covid-19. These limitations are put in place by each City and not the Clubs themselves. Please be respectful of these limitations.. Failure to do so could result in spectators not being allowed for future games, or your removal from the venue.
Spectators must social distance.

Checking AQ Index (and just looking out the window), Surrey is still at 7 HIGH RISK. PRACTICES for tonight are CANCELLED

If you missed your scheduled gear night, you need to speak to your team manager and plan to come in tonight to get gear.

If you need to swap anything, you can come in tonight to swap. Make sure whatever you are swapping has been sanitized first.

Watch your team pages as coaches may be adding extra practice days next week to make up the missed days due to air quality.

Practice update for Tuesday September 15, 2020

Due to air quality advisories practices tonight will be cancelled.

Lions gear issue will go forward as planned

#nsmf #effortandrespect #footballfamily

It’s finally here!! 🖤💛🏈\○/

We are approved for Phase 3 of Return to Sport. We have some strict guidelines we are required by the Provincial league to follow in order to move forward but Phase 3 means games!!

Week 1 is set for Sept 27th. Game schedule will be set by the league around mid September.

Still space to register in Flag, Atom, Bantam Football and Atom and PW Cheer. Register at www.surreyfootball.com/ns-web-registration

Coaches are working with the equipment manager to schedule your team’s equipment handout day and will advise their teams.

🏈 In addition to their regular football equipment, participants will need some additional items (see photos) moving forward for practices and games. Please check with your team coach or manager if you have questions. Players that do not have the required equipment will not be able to participate. 🏈

Full details and links to the BCPFA and NSMF Phase 3 plans are available at https://surreyfootball.com/covid-19-policies/

🏈 Spectators are not allowed in the field area and spectator limits may vary at different parks.🏈

We are allowed limited spectators at Bear Creek in the bleachers. These details are being worked out and as we get closer to week 1 of games, we will update.

Please check with your team coach or manager if you have questions.

#nsmf #effortandrespect #footballfamily #returntoplay #phase3

Pre Order for gloves is now closed. There will be gloves available later in August for sale at the field, but quantities and sizes will be limited.

Registration is still open!

If you have not yet registered, registration is still open, and spots are still available in some football and cheer divisions. Registration link is at the bottom of this page.

All registered participants should arrive a few minutes early for the wellness check in (field outside the clubhouse). Everyone should maintain social distancing. Anyone showing symptoms or with a high temperature will be sent home. Parents, make sure to not leave the park until your child is cleared.

Drop off will be parking lot closest to Clubhouse. Pick up will be Parking lot closest to the playground. (see map) NSMF Park Map Phase 2

Anyone not registered (complete with waivers and payment) will not be allowed to practice until these are complete. If you have questions regarding your registration or need to make payment arrangements, please contact registrar.surreyfootball@gmail.com

NO SPECTATORS at practices. We are limited to the number of people allowed at each field. Parents are welcome to walk the new Upper walking track or sit on the bleachers. Please ensure you are available to be reached by phone if needed.

Practice times

Football

Flag, Atom, PW, JB 6pm – 7:15pm    /   Bantam, Misget 7:30pm – 9pm

Cheer

Atom, PW 6pm – 7:15pm       /      JB, Senior 7:30pm – 9pm

Remember, we are currently in Phase 2 of Return to Play which allows participant & team conditioning only (no equipment/contact/stunting) to ensure participants are fit & adhering to all new safety rules.

Gloves and masks are strongly recommended at this point for practices. (gloves will be required for football participants once contact and/or games start). NS branded masks are available for $10 by emailing secretary.surreyfootball@gmail.com. Payment is by etransfer. Watch our website for more details.

Participants are recommended to bring their own hand sanitizer, and leave bags at home where possible. Please come ready to practice.

Participants must bring their own water – there will be NO TEAM WATER BOTTLES.

The safety of all participants/team staff & families is our top priority which means Football and Cheer will look different this year. In addition to a strict safety protocol that includes pre-practice health checks for participants & team staff – all tackle participants will now wear splash shields attached to helmets – All participants will also wear gloves, have personal water bottles, have access to hand sanitizer and practice social distancing.

As the Province updates the restrictions our website will be updated with details.

Please refer to our Return to Sport page for more information.

If you pre-ordered gloves, the order is in progress and they will be distributed as soon as they arrive. We will have limited quantities available for sale at the field in a few weeks (watch for post). They will be first come, first serve.

Register Here

MAY 29TH – UPDATE ON CREDIT CARD REFUNDS

As of 4:30pm this afternoon, we have received confirmation from esportsdesk that they have finally processed all credit card refunds. 

You should start seeing the refunds on your credit cards next week as it can take a few days for some card providers.

May 20th Update

Parents, I want to take a minute to update you. Today, BCPFA (Provincial governing body) sent out 2 emails with updates to all football and cheer families in BC.

The 1st email was focused on Return to Play and outlines the steps the Province has to follow so that the individual leagues can play. Our league is working on assisting with defining what that might look like, but the final approval and go ahead comes from the Provincial body and affects all Community Football clubs in BC.

The 2nd email was supposed to be about refunds, but it seems there was a mixup and the wrong email was sent. I wish I could give you a proper update here, but unfortunately the communication to the football clubs on this topic has has been limited. We have been pushing for updates for weeks.

There are 2 situations related to refunds.
1 – if you paid North Surrey directly (this means you registered using our NS Web Registration page and paid NS directly by cash, check, etransfer, debit), we have reached out to you all and these refunds have been processed, checks written and mailed. If you have not received your check, let us know, and we can confirm, but as noted, they have all been mailed.
2 – if you registered with esportsdesk and paid with a credit card…this is the frustrating part (and trust me I am right there with you)…. Esportsdesk has this money and opted to handle the refunds themselves rather than dispersing the money to the clubs for us to refund.. PLEASE NOTE THIS AFFECTS ALL CLUBS, NOT JUST NS… there are thousands of player registrations for BC Football they are dealing with in this unusual situation. Clubs do not have control over these refunds and we have been pushing to have the process sped up.

If you have questions about your credit card refund and when it will be processed, feel free to contact esportsdesk at 1.604.235.1987

I also need to say it, and I can’t believe I have to, but no one at North Surrey football is holding your money. We have long processed the refunds we were in control of. There is no need to threaten or abuse this great group of volunteers. If you have questions, I am happy to have a civil conversation about the situation and I will tell you everything I know about the status of return to play, thoughts and plans around safety for players, parents and volunteers and refunds, but we will not respond to those parents who are threatening or abusive about a situation that is beyond our control.
For those of you that have been patient and understanding, thank you! 🖤💛

The NS executive has been working hard to make this situation as smooth as we can and working towards a safe return for our kids to the sport they love.

Jean McPherson
President, North Surrey Minor Football 🖤💛

Hello North Surrey Football family. We miss you all!!

We appreciate your patience as we work through this unprecedented time. I wanted to give you all an update regarding registration refunds. We are hopeful that the Fall season will go ahead and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

We just received confirmation from the Provincial leagues have approved refunds of their annual membership/insurance fees (as previously mentioned, these are normally not refundable). We had been waiting for this to initiate refunds and avoid having to refund multiple times.

PLEASE REVIEW THE BELOW AS THERE ARE MULTIPLE SCENARIOS.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us by email or FB messenger using the link on this page.

If you registered on esportsdesk for Spring Flag (and paid by credit card), the refund requests have been sent to esportsdesk to process. They have told us, this process can take 3 weeks for the refund to appear on your credit card. There are no additional steps you need to take.

If you registered on esportsdesk for Fall Football (and paid by credit card). We have requested these be refunded for now as well. The refund requests have been sent to esportsdesk to process. They have told us, this process can take 3 weeks for the refund to appear on your credit card. There are no additional steps you need to take. NS will still hold your spot for fall should the season go ahead and will will reach out individually to arrange payment to the club once the season is confirmed.

If you registered on our website and paid at the clubhouse for Spring (cash, check, debit, etransfer), you have the option to carry your registration over to the fall season or request a refund. Follow the instructions below to request refund or request carry over. If you have already sent an email, you do not need to resend.

• send an email to registrar.surreyfootball@gmail.com with the following information
  • Player Name
  • Team/Coach Name
  • Request Refund or Carry over to Fall
  • If you are requesting refund, please also include
    • Parent Name
    • Current Mailing Address * if you paid by cash, check, debit/cc (directly at the clubhouse) or etransfer your refund will be by cheque and this will be mailed to you. 

Again, Ii you have any questions, please reach out to us by email or FB messenger using the link on this page.

We are hopeful that the Fall season can go ahead and look forward to seeing you all.

Jean McPherson

President, North Surrey Minor Football
#nsmf #effortandrespect #footballfamily

Spring Flag Season Update as of March 27, 2020
Hello North Surrey Football family. It is very hard to have to let you know, but due to the current situation with COVID-19, the league has decided to cancel the 2020 Spring Flag Season. We were hoping that at least part of the season could go ahead, but at this time there are too many unknowns and the health and safety of our players, coaches, referees and parents are our number 1 priority.

I know you all have questions with regards to refunds. At this time, here is the information I have available to me.

First, let me explain how the registration fee is broken out. Spring Flag Registration for 2020 was $225 which consists of

• $20 BC Community Football Membership
• $23 BC Provincial Football Membership and Insurance
• $15 Football Canada Membership
  • These 3 fees go towards things like player insurance, coaching certification and access to Provincial and National Championships. These are annual fees and normally are non-refundable. The leagues have agreed to refund these for the 2020 Spring Season – COVID19 Refund Policy_rev
• The remainder goes towards uniforms, equipment (footballs, flags, etc.) and jamboree fees (fields, refs, etc.) Luckily, we were able to cancel our uniform purchase before it was too late and we haven’t paid the league jamboree fees, so that portion is easily refundable. We have purchased and distributed equipment, but this can be reused so we will “eat” that cost.
  • Players will not get or cannot order a SF uniform
  • Anyone who paid $5 for the jersey customization will have this refunded as well.

OPTIONS

*If you have already requested your refund through the registrar email below, please know that we have received your email and we will be processing refunds as soon as possible.

1 – Spring Flag refund $225 per player that was registered and paid. If you registered on esportsdesk and paid by credit card, you will be refunded.

2 – if you registered on the NS site and paid, cash, cheque, debit or etransfer, we can carry over your full paid registration fees paid to the 2020 fall season. For most divisions there will be a small amount left owing, but we will confirm that on a case by case basis.

3 – if you have applied for Kidsport or Jumpstart, we have not received that money yet and will be working directly with each of these associations to determine the best course of action to cancel/carry over your application requests.

For option 1 or 2 above, please follow the below instructions so that we can process your request. Please note that we expect a high number of emails coming in, so responses may be delayed, but we will get back to you as soon as possible.

To help expedite your request, please;

Send an email to registrar.surreyfootball@gmail.com

Include in the email:

• Player Name
• Coach Name
• Parent Name
• Current Mailing Address * if you paid by cash, check, debit/cc (directly at the clubhouse) or etransfer your refund will be by cheque and this will be mailed to you. If you paid by credit card online (esportsdesk), that refund will be issued directly to your credit card.
• Options 1 (refund) or 2 (carry over to Fall Season)

This is not the news that we or our players wanted, but we are looking forward to getting back out on the field as soon as we can do so safely.

Over the next weeks/months, the Club and League’s focus will move to the 2020 Fall Season and we hope that will be able to move forward without further interruption. For now, please stay safe and healthy and make sure our players keep working on their skills. Just think of this as the off season, a very extended one.

FYI, Here is the notification shared by our parent league, the VMFL regarding the season cancellation.

Jean McPherson

President, North Surrey Minor Football
#nsmf #effortandrespect #footballfamily