Burnaby RCMP launches all-girls summer soccer camp

Burnaby RCMP organized its first all-girls summer soccer camp this year from August 6-8. Sixty-eight girls registered for the camp, and 60 took part. Burnaby RCMP has been offering annual summer soccer camps for Burnaby children since 2017, which have grown steadily in popularity. The original format for the camps was coeducational for children ages 8-13. After some children suggested an all-girls camp, the RCMP decided to pilot a new camp for girls. 

Burnaby RCMP offers the summer soccer camps free of charge. The Burnaby School District helps select the children most likely to benefit from the camps. Families that cannot afford to send their children to private summer camps are prioritized in the selection process. The soccer camps are open to Burnaby residents only. 

According to Constable Dave Morris of the Burnaby RCMP Youth Section, funding for the soccer camps comes from a civil forfeiture grant. This year’s grant was $14,000, and Morris said that this is the most the RCMP could request. Several RCMP members and city staff members who work in the RCMP detachment volunteered their time as coaches and educators for the children. 

“The RCMP is limited in what we’re allowed to do when it comes to funding and when it comes to sponsorships,” Morris said.  

Demand for RCMP summer camps is very high. In 2023, Burnaby RCMP received more than 400 applications for 150 spots. Morris told the Beacon there were probably more applicants this year but had not yet calculated the exact number. The RCMP offered 180 spots this year. Whether or not the RCMP can expand the program in future years to meet demand is unclear. 

“I can’t answer that in the sense that it all has to go through our senior management team as far as how much resources they want to put into it because it takes a lot,” Morris said, adding that in addition to funding, the staff involved have to dedicate their time and effort to working on the camps. 

“So right now, doing three weeks of it is a lot. If I could tell you that we could expand it into a fourth week, that would be amazing. A lot of that comes down to the funding. We’re limited with the budget and if we have the manpower to do it. So I think where we are at right now is a comfortable level with three weeks,” Morris added. 

The new all-girls camp was requested by the children at last year’s camp. It started when Morris and the other coaches noticed that the boys playing soccer would often pass the ball only to other boys. 

“When they get into the older groups, sometimes you’ll notice that the boys maybe wouldn’t be passing to the girls, so they kind of excluded them from some of the games and maybe not on purpose,” he said. “I asked the girls about their thoughts on if we were to offer an all-girls camp, and every one of them said that would be a great idea.” 

One of the children, Eva, 11, said that before joining the camp, one of her concerns was that the other players would not pass her the ball, but this did not happen; instead, she said she made several new friends. 

“It’s ​​been really exciting getting to play with new players that I haven’t played with before,” Eva said.

Danica, 12, also said she enjoyed attending the camp for the second year in a row. 

“It’s really fun. I woke up this morning; I’m like, yes, it’s another day of camp,” Danica said, adding that the RCMP members make it a fun experience. “They’re really funny, and they’re really good at teaching us stuff about soccer.” 

The camps are dedicated to more than just soccer training, although that is the main focus. Every day, the coaches organize other activities to promote teamwork and communication. Morris said the staff fosters a safe environment for all the children, who are encouraged to treat one another respectfully and kindly. 

“At the end of the week, we award five kids with a ball, and the ball is just to show they don’t have to be the best soccer player, but they’re trying, so effort is key, and that they’re helpful, they’re showing kindness,” Morris said. 

The RCMP also has fire department members, the police dog service, and integrated emergency response teams that come by for some show-and-tell. Sometimes, they bring in explosives sniffer dogs and demonstrate what they do, or they have a trainee dressed in protective clothing demonstrate a dog bite. The children watch from a distance and are not involved in the demonstrations. The emergency response team also does a little show-and-tell with their equipment. 

“They have these…robots, they would send those into buildings. And they’ll show the kids this stuff. They’ll show them their helmets, some of their shields, some of their rams that they use to knock down doors,” Morris said. “We limit it for the most part. We’re not showing them firearms, but we’re showing them some of the other gadgets that they have that are pretty cool.” 

The primary purpose of these interactions is to provide a positive experience for the children with the RCMP, which may eventually encourage them to join the RCMP later on or help them in other aspects of their lives. 

“Maybe it does spark somebody’s interest in being a police officer, but if it doesn’t, that’s okay, too, as long as they’re getting something positive from it. Maybe these lessons that we’re teaching them, the communication skills and the leadership, that resonates with them, and that’s something that they hold on to,” Morris said.

Morris said that supervising the girls’ soccer camp has also been a good experience for the staff. 

“The camp is probably, I would say, it has been the easiest one to run, in the sense that they’re so polite, and that part’s been awesome,” Morris said. “Watching them all participate, all be involved, and they’re kind of doing it at their own pace so no one’s being left out is also great to see.”

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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