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Letter: A love letter from B.I. Football Club

'This is a love letter, from the club president, to those who have ensured BIFC was able to provide all that it did this year
Two young boys running to kick a soccer ball with two other kids in the background
Bowen Island Football Club players on the BICS turf field in October.

Spring is surely upon us. Longer days surely mean that we can get back on the pitch to work on some safe, phase one soccer! 

We have no idea what is ahead in terms of return to play instructions but know that we are constantly checking in and having conversations with other clubs to determine what the best, safest way to stay on the field is. 

In spite of the hardship, the B.I. Football Club (BIFC) has so much to be grateful for. 

And so, in the spirit of February, this is a love letter, from the club president, to those who have ensured BIFC was able to provide all that it did this year. 

As a club, we rallied the support of our membership, local organizations and community partners in order to maintain our ability to change programming on a dime, whenever a new public health announcement came out. For a while, it felt like we were altering plans weekly.

By “we,” I mean Morgan Quarry and Dayna Purdy, respectively BIFC’s general manager and club coordinator extraordinaire. Morgan and Dayna were tireless, putting forward remarkable ingenuity when it came to adjusting programming to fit the needs of the community. There isn’t a sufficient word count that can express the BIFC’s gratitude to the leadership these two demonstrated this year. A genuine, heartfelt thank you from the BIFC board to you both. 

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the role that BIFC’s board of directors played in the success of the club this year. I know that I could not have endured the sheer volume of strategic thinking required this year without a dedicated board of directors who attended last-minute meetings and provided thoughtful guidance throughout the year. Thank you!

As it happens from time to time, some of our board members are moving on after years of dedicated service; Julian (Barrera) – we are looking at you! You have dedicated your time, expertise and historical knowledge of the club year after year after year. You are going to be missed. We’re not even clear what it means to lose you, but know that you’ve left a prevailing legacy that will not soon be forgotten. Deidre (Farah), in your many BIFC roles as coach, board member and technical director, your support of BIFC was above and beyond, every day. Melodie (Shannon), your feedback and input into the governance direction that the board starting leaning towards was impeccable and valued. You’ve given a ton of time to the club, and thankfully your coaching and managing skills are sticking around for a while longer.

We also want to acknowledge the incredible generosity of the Bowen Island Health Centre Foundation (supported by the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund, Community Foundations of Canada and the Bowen Island Community Foundation.) We could not have done it without the generous grant support that this local organization provided. Sheree, thank you for picking up the phone to answer questions and support us through the grant process. 

And last (but certainly not least) we could not have done it without the support of our Bowen Island Community Recreation partner and our incredibly dedicated and talented coaches. We’re not done yet! We have a pandemic friendly spring session to roll out, and beyond Morgan and Dayna’s work, this is entirely due to the commitment of BIFC coaches. Thank you. We did it, we’re doing it, with all of this and more.

We are asking for all club members to please join us for our AGM (another Zoom meeting!) on March 3 at 7 p.m. If you are interested in learning more about the club and would like to get involved, please email info@bowenfc.com for info as well as a link to join our AGM. Prizes to be had, critical information to be shared!