When the Barrier Soccer Club (BSC) heads into its 54th year in 2022, a new branding will lead the team onto the pitch, including a new name for all teams in the organization.
Looking to form a recognizable identity, the BSC has renamed all teams as the Barrie Spirit, complete with a new logo for the kits.
Formed in 1968, the local club has grown into the largest soccer organization in the region with approximately 1,900 players involved in competitive (around 35 teams) and house league (50 to 60 teams) play.
The BSC has recently completed a five-year strategic and operational plan that focuses on player development, pathway opportunities, and growth of the club both on and off the field.
Cub president Will Devellis said part of the strategic plan was to help the BSC become a more recognizable brand within the ever-growing Ontario soccer landscape.
“Over the last few years, we have had some tremendous success on the field with regional and provincial championships, scholarship awards, and creation of some very unique programs never seen before in Ontario, such as our drug awareness program, and our university prep program for our players,” Devellis said in a release.
“Although we have had these successes, we felt that our club wasn't in the spotlight as much as we should be. Thus began our journey to make the Barrie Soccer Club a more reputable and more recognized club," he added.
The annual Barrie Spiritfest took a hiatus the last two years due to COVID protocols, but Devellis says the massive tournament will run in 2022 on June 4 and 5 with “planning already started.”
In 2019, Spiritfest saw close to 75 teams descend on local soccer fields in a weekend tournament with hundreds of kids, coaches and families staying in Barrie hotels and eating in the city's restaurants.
Recently, the BSC became a major affiliate of the Simcoe County Rovers FC, which will begin play in the province’s top level of soccer. The Rovers are co-owned by former national player Julian de Guzman and Canadian men’s player Cyle Larin.
Larin is a major reason the national team are in first place in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, scoring two goals in Tuesday’s historic win over Mexico.
“This affiliation will provide professional pathway opportunities for our players for years to come, and will also provide coaching mentorship opportunities for our community coaches,” Devellis said.
The new BSC logo includes a maple leaf, the Spirit Catcher, the year the club formed, as well as colours and design to associate closely with the Rovers FC.
But Devellis says the most important development is the club’s new slogan of 'We Are One'.
“The slogan shows our values of inclusiveness and represents that we truly are one,” said Devellis. “Family, club, community and team. Our statement that all are welcome regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, etc. Embracing the multicultural city that Barrie has become and representing cohesiveness with our programs: female mentorship, youth mentorship, coach mentorship."
The BSC is accepting registration for all ages for the 2022 season now and those interested can head to the website here.
