Kal Basi admits his days as rental player in the North Cariboo Senior Soccer League are growing short.
Just two months shy of 60, Basi has taken good care of his body. He's one of the league's senior referees and he's still fleet-footed enough to cover the field as a centre forward for the Masters Division Caledonians. As if that wasn't enough soccer, last year Basi was a call-up replacement for teams in the Open and 30-and-over divisions.
But he would much rather see those spots filled by players half his age and the league has taken steps to make that easier for them this season. Those who don't want to commit to one team can now sign up for $85 to become part-time players on a call-up list, which team managers can draw from to fill out their rosters. That should prove especially helpful to teams during the summer months, when players go away on holidays.
The call-ups are limited to a maximum of eight games. If they decide they want to play any more than eight games, they would become available in the draft and would be required to pay the full-season $185 registration fee.
"A lot of people are busy with their schedules and shift work and they don't want to commit because they'll be away a lot of the time and this way they can sign up for a cheap $85 and be on a call-up list for each age group," said Basi, the league vice-president.
Basi has been part of the league since 1995, when he moved to the city from Prince Rupert, and he'd love to see more young players get involved in officiating and at the organizational level with the league.
"Some of us old farts will only go on so long," he said. "The day I can't run and keep up with play I'll have to say, 'sorry guys, I can't referee.'
"Last year I played a couple games in the Over-30 division when they were short of players and a couple of games in the Open Division on my son's team (Shawn Basi plays for Westwood Pub), running against 18-year-olds and it's fun. It makes me feel good."
Thirteen NCSSL teams including the Prince George Youth Soccer Association under-18 boys are involved in this weekend's icebreaker at North Cariboo Fields. Most teams will play two games Saturday and Sunday. All players who have yet to commit to a team are invited to join the scrimmages, provided they first sign an injury liability waiver.
Basi said the Icebreaker is a perfect opportunity for new players to join the league and it offers a chance for PGYSA players who have aged out of youth soccer to latch on to a senior team to continue playing the game.
"This town is renowned for last-minute sign-ups and that's why we're having the icebreaker," said Basi. "It gives teams a chance to look at players who have not necessarily signed up yet.
"A lot of the young guys leaving youth soccer think they're not good enough to play in the senior league and they shouldn't think along those lines. They should come out and try it at least, because if they've enjoyed soccer and played on a house team they should seriously take a look at going into the draft to the senior level. They're only going to get bigger and better."
Teams will play either an 18- or 20-game schedule, which starts May 22 and runs through the end of August. Games in the Rec Division will continue into the third week of September.
As much as possible, the league has scheduled games on weekday evenings to allow families to spend more time together on weekends away from the soccer field.
In the Open Division there will be a minimum of five teams and as many as seven. The exact number will be determined after the Icebreaker. Westwood Pub won last year's playoff and regular season titles. The 30-and-over Division, which crowned Powerhouse as regular season champs in 2013 and Assante/Splash United FC as playoff winners, will have four teams this year. Five teams will compete this season in the Masters (45-and older) Division. Subway is the defending regular-season champions, while the Gunners won the playoffs.
There are no major tournaments on the men's schedule this season. While the league has hosted the provincial Rec Cup, unless a major sponsor steps forward with some significant cash to entice visiting teams, Basi said that won't be happening again anytime soon because the out-of-towners don't want to travel north.
