District

THE SOYSA PINNACLES 

                                                                 Who are we…….                                  

The S.O.Y.S.A. District Soccer program was designed for the development of top soccer players in U12 – U18 age groups for both boys and girls in the South Okanagan. Players from Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos, and Summerland join together to form District representative teams which compete as the S.O.Y.S.A. Pinnacles.

The Pinnacles District program enables teams from the  South Okanagan to compete against other District Teams in the Thompson-Okanagan Youth Soccer League.  The Thompson-Okanagan Youth Soccer Leagues includes District Teams from Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Salmon Arm and Vernon.

The Goal of the S.O.Y.S.A. Pinnacles is to encourage our soccer youth in their development with the goal of reaching their highest potential at elite levels of soccer, perhaps moving on to Y League and Provincial Teams. We also hope to teach our players the level of commitment and dedication that is required to reach the highest level of sport whether it be to reach a Provincial Championship or a college Scholarship. 

S.O.Y.S.A. encourages all soccer players with the desire to achieve their goals in soccer  to attend our annual District Tryouts.

What is the (TOYSL) Thompson Okanagan Youth Soccer League ...

TOYSL representatives in each and every district have heard the following requests repeatedly from players, coaches, parents and managers involved with TOYSL

• They want a longer season

• They want the season to be meaningful.

• They want an interlocking schedule (home and away)

• They want all teams that register and play within the league to have equal opportunities in play downs or championships.

The TOYSL representatives in each community heard these requests and as a result, there will be several changes to the 2008 season.

1. TOYSL is a B League as defined by BCSA

• On one hand, there was an opportunity to participate in National championships at the U14, U16 and U18 divisions by winning the BCSA’s Provincial A Championship.  On the other hand, there was not enough A teams in TOYSL to form a league and provide sufficient quality and quantity of competition every year.  We opted for player development over championships.

• No one is prevented from challenging for the A provincial championship.  Teams can play in TOYSL but declare themselves A teams for the purposes of the provincial championships if they meet the requirements set out by BCSA.

2. The season will be longer. 

• The season will begin in April (as usual)

• The team leading the division at the third week in June will represent the interior at the provincial B Cup.

• The season continues until mid-July and resumes the first week in September.  Parents wanted a break for holidays.

• The championship tournament will be played the first weekend in October, one week prior to Thanksgiving.

• The championship tournament will have a name that doesn’t exclude challenges by other teams in BC – a truly provincial tournament - but differentiates from the winter season provincial championship currently played in July.

3. The season will have meaning 

• The provincial representative will be determined by the standings

• The seeding in the tournament at the season’s end will be determined by the standings.

• Rosters locked prior to first league game

4. The schedule will be interlocking

• In some cases, that might mean scheduling a few games on a weeknight (where necessary) between teams from communities close to each other.

5. Equal opportunity. 

• All teams that enter and play in the league will have an equal opportunity to win the season ending championship.  

6. U12 Format change. 

• U12s will play 8 per side but will no longer participate in jamboree style games.  Games will be scheduled in the same manner as U13 and older.

The appropriate TOYSL rules have been changed to reflect the commitment of the TOYSL representatives from each district to deliver greater opportunities for player development by through improvements to the TOYSL season.

To contact us by email, click here for the District Director for more information on the District Program.