233067
233009
BCFC  

BCFC won't return to play until at least September

Jr. football return delayed

The BC Junior Football Conference has put everything on hold until mid summer at the earliest.

All football activities, including formal, and informal workouts, have been paused until July 1 while the province deals with how to move forward for organized sports in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BCFC president Tyler McLaren says a decision on a possible resumption of those activities will be made later this month.

Regardless of when it is deemed safe to return to some activities, a full return to play will be determined through recommendations by provincial health organizations.

McLaren says that is complicated by the fact the BCFC is working alongside the CJFL nationally.

"It would be easier if we only had to deal provincially," he said.

"Because we are still linked to the national games and the CJFL games, we have to take into account what is going on across the prairies and Ontario. They are at different stages than we are."

Taking the national picture into account, McLaren says the Canadian Bowl has been pushed back from Nov. 14 to Dec. 5. The location of the national title game, slated originally for Ontario, will be determined at a later date.

That is if the Canadian Bowl is played at all.

"What we have done is basically say there is a chance we won't play national games because of the travel and the cost.

"We have to plan as if we're playing the whole thing, but depending on funding and what happens, we may not have the national games, and just the conference games."

McLaren says the BCFC is working on six, and eight game schedules.

If they get the go ahead, an eight game schedule could begin Sept. 5, a six game schedule two weeks later.

He stresses the league will not start up before the Labour Day weekend, and says playing games without fans will be tough for a league that relies heavily on ticket sales, concession and sponsorship revenues and 50-50 sales.

The league is also working on return to play strategies. Some of those unique plans could include small team training camp workouts which could include offence working one day and defence the next, or even smaller groups where quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs work out separately to offensive and defensive linemen.



More BCFC articles