The philosophical rift that tore the city’s youth soccer community apart — and sent the number of registered players into a sharp decline — has been healed.
After years of in-fighting that, in 2018, led a group of disgruntled parents to split from the Prince George Youth Soccer Association to form Northern United FC – Youth Soccer, the two sides have merged.
PGYSA has returned as the single overseer of youth soccer programs in the city, and the number of kids playing the beautiful game reached nearly 1,300 this summer.
Ryan Beer, the newly elected PGYSA president, moved up last December from the vice-president’s position to take over the reins of what has traditionally been the largest youth sports organization in Prince George. He’s intent on maintaining that steady growth to keep those numbers healthy.
“I think things have changed a lot, with people from the different clubs getting to know each other. Some time has passed and people were just like, ‘You know what, it would be better for the kids if we just got together,’” said Beer.
“The conversations between us and Northern United were awesome, and now that they’ve come across and we’re working together in the same club, a lot of their coaches have come over and a lot of them are volunteering — some as team managers — and it’s been really good so far.”
Northern United’s board voted in February to merge with PGYSA, and it officially happened in April, just before the outdoor season began.
Considering the bad blood that used to exist, Beer said the current PGYSA board members are extremely conscious about responding to issues put forward by parents, coaches and managers, and that has helped the two sides put aside their differences.
“When two clubs come together, people have questions and concerns. I find if you listen to people and they feel heard — and you actually take the things they say seriously and try to work together and have good conversations — you can usually work it out, and that’s what’s been happening since we’ve come together,” said Beer.
At its height in the early 2000s, PGYSA had more than 3,100 registered players. That dropped to between 500 and 600 in the first few years of Northern United’s existence.
“I think we’re just shy of 1,300 now, and our goal is to find creative, innovative ways to get kids interested in playing the game again,” Beer said.
“People want to come where there’s a positive culture, and I think now that the culture is positive, people want their kids involved in something where the kids are having a good time. Anytime an environment has underlying tension, it makes it challenging for people to want to stay involved.”
Having been a PGYSA board member since 2022, Beer assumed the presidential duties from Chris Branigan in December 2024. He’s coached in the league since 2014, starting when his boys were young, and has been a rep team coach for the past five years. This year, he coached the U16 and U18 boys.
He says his main ambition at the helm of PGYSA is to keep the game as accessible as possible so any kid who wants to play has that opportunity.
“You see the city becoming more multicultural, and I want this to be a place where everybody feels like they belong and they’re welcomed,” he said. “We’re not just developing soccer, but we also want people in this club to be learning what it is to have good character, learning how to work hard and learning those lessons that sports teaches you that go into so many other aspects of life.”
The influence of the UNBC Timberwolves on youth soccer development continues under the leadership of women’s varsity team head coach Neil Sedgwick, who also serves as PGYSA technical director. Beer said nine of the coaches who worked at the TWolves summer skills camp were current or former PGYSA players.
Beer, the pastor of United Church in Prince George, is hoping to grow the sponsorship programs and partner with local businesses to help keep registration costs affordable. Kids playing in the youngest age groups in the Timbit program, sponsored by Tim Hortons, pay $100 per season — which includes a jersey, socks and shorts.
He said the Prince George Soccer Association also does its part in developing young talent, allowing players aged 16 and older from PGYSA to play in the adult leagues. The U16 boys currently play in the men’s league, and last year there was a U18 team involved. That helps make up for the lack of competition in the region for youth teams within their own age groups.
Prince George won its bid to host the Provincial B Cup in 2027, which will bring 80 teams to the city that weekend in early July. Beer said Tourism Prince George is already helping connect with local hotels to offer discounted room rates for the teams.
“People are excited about it. It’s always great when a big event comes to Prince George,” said Beer.
The tournament features five age groups — U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18 — in each gender.
The Prince George Impact U17 girls, coached by Mark Chadwick, won back-to-back provincial titles at this year’s Kamloops tournament on July 13, having won gold at the U16 level in 2024. Last year’s U18 boys team won provincial bronze.
Rotary Field includes seven full-sized fields, and five more are available from the PGSA. Beer said BC Soccer considers Prince George an ideal place to host a large youth tournament.
The host team gets a bye into the provincial tournament, which could mean as many as 10 local teams in action for the 2027 event. This year, five of the six PGYSA travel teams qualified for the Provincial B Cup.
PGYSA is also in line to host the qualifying tournament that will determine the zone teams to compete in the 2026 Provincial B Cup, also in Kamloops.
The PGYSA fall season runs from Sept. 8 to Oct. 9. Registration closes on Sept. 1.
