BSA News

The BSA is happy to announce that Spring Soccer registration is now open for our Co-Ed U19 program. Spring Soccer for U6, U8, U10 and U13 will open in late March. To learn more about the U19 program and to register, go here.

We are thrilled to announce that we are opening registration today for our U13 BSA Co-Ed Baseball Clinic in partnership with the Brussels Baseball Association. All program details and registration information is available here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Winter Soccer is here!

The BSA is pleased to announce that we will continue this winter with soccer at Centre Sportif de la Forêt de Soignes. We are offering 4 programs - U6, U8, U10 and U13. Training begins January 17 and goes through March 21.

PROGRAM DETAILS

The winter soccer program includes 8 training sessions which will focus on fun, fitness and fundamentals. BSA soccer is open to children of all abilities - we welcome players who are completely new to soccer and those with more experience! While we will not be playing against other teams this season, players will have an opportunity to scrimmage against the other BSA team in their age bracket. 

 For further information about BSA Soccer please go to the Soccer page.

LOCATION INFORMATION

This winter season all trainings will be held on the fields at Centre Sportif de la Forêt de Soignes in Oudergem. Location information is available here.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

As we transition into a new year, the Brussels Sports Association is proud to say that, despite the tremendous uncertainty of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, we are still here! However, like many not-for-profits around the world, this situation has been a strain on our organization. We’ve been able to “keep the lights on,” but we are also facing a substantial financial shortfall as we go into 2021. 

For this reason, BSA is asking our supporters, alumni and parents of athletes for help to ensure our organization can survive the loss of 400 registrations this year.

Even with the challenges we have faced in 2020, we were still able to deliver high quality sports programming to 260 children in Brussels.  Our leadership team and sports program directors have worked tirelessly to come up with creative ideas to provide a safe, accessible sporting environment for your kids.  Hours of extra work ensured that:

• All guidelines for Covid-19 were reviewed regularly and programs were adjusted to ensure that safety measures were followed during training and competition.

• Volunteer coaches received support to deploy modified practice drills to ensure Covid safety.

• Sports seasons were adjusted to improve access and reduce financial burden to families in case of cancellation due to government regulations. 

• Additional volunteers were secured to help with logistics of social distancing and safe pick-up for children in after school programs.

• New fields were secured for soccer and lacrosse programs when previous venues were unavailable.  

What kind of shortfall is BSA facing?  Sport registration revenue was down 70% from the same period in 2019 due to the cancellation of our spring season and shortened fall seasons.  BSA is a not for profit organization that works hard to keep expenses as low as possible, but we have fixed expenses (administrative, legal and insurance fees) that we must cover even if seasons are cancelled.      

Please help us by pledging to “replace a registration” that was lost in 2020.  

1 player:   125 euro

4 players:  500 euro

8 players:  1000 euro

Any donation will help us on our way to our fundraising goal of €50,000. 

We look forward to a fantastic 2021 with you all!

Click on the box below to make your donation before the end of the year!

Are you a Lacrosse person? Are you looking to get involved in fun and rewarding volunteer work? Do you love the idea of introducing this unique sport to kids who may have never played before or supporting dedicated and experienced lacrosse players in keeping up their skills while here in Belgium?

The Brussels Sports Association would love for you to join our team!

The BSA is sad to be saying goodbye to our dedicated Lacrosse Program Director, John Bernards, who will be relocating with his family back to the United States in December.

To learn more, check out the Lacrosse Director position description. Email Managing Director, Jodi Harris, or outgoing Lacrosse Director, John Bernards to set up a time to talk more. 

Check out John's video on why being the BSA Lacrosse Director is awesome!

Are you an attorney licensed in Belgium? Do you know a firm that's just the right size to support an organization like the BSA? We want to hear from you! 

As a small, primarily volunteer-run organization, the BSA relies heavily on the support of our community members. From our coaches to our volunteer board and program directors, the BSA knows our community members are key to our ability to provide quality sports programming to the international community in Brussels.

Moreover, the BSA leadership team is committed to creating a strong administrative foundation for our organization. Part of that process is regularly reviewing our obligations with the Belgian government. This year, that means updating our Articles of Association. 

Please email office@bsasports.org to let us know if you're ready to help or have a referral.

BSA Fall Soccer is now open for registration!

BSA is so excited to be back on the pitch this fall! While things will look a bit different, we are just as dedicated as ever to maintain our focus on fun, fitness and fundamentals. BSA soccer is open to children of all abilities - we welcome players who are completely new to soccer and those with more experience!

Registration information for boys and girls for U6, U8, U10 and U13 is available here. We look forward to seeing you on the pitch!

BSA has been hard at work reviewing opportunities for your children to return to their favorite sports this fall. As I wrote in our September Newsletter, we have not been able to begin our regular BSA season at the International School of Brussels due to the Covid-19 measures implemented by the school.

However, we have been looking into other options and we're happy to report that we may be able to organize a short-term partnership with Brussels Lacrosse at Stade Fallon in Woluwe Saint Lambert. We fully recognize that the change of location may be a challenge for some of our families. We are also aware that a late start to the season may present additional concerns as your child may have already chosen other options.

In light of these potential changes, we are writing to inquire about your child's interest in joining BSA Lacrosse Programming should we be able to finalize this partnership.

If you are interested in registering for BSA Lacrosse, please take one minute to complete this short survey.

You can learn more about BSA Lacrosse here. Please feel free to reach out to us directly by email at either of the addresses below if you have additional concerns or questions.

We look forward to providing updated information soon.

Sincerely,

Jodi Harris - BSA Managing Director; office@bsasports.org

John Bernards - BSA Lacrosse Director; lacrosse@bsasports.org

Are you looking for a rewarding, fun and engaging volunteer opportunity?

Are you ready for meaningful work that draws from your skills and experience?

Are you an excellent communicator? 

Do you enjoy working with creative, committed and dynamic teams to create something that truly makes a difference in your community?

The BSA Board Secretary position could be just what you're looking for!

The BSA is is seeking to fill this position immediately. A great candidate will bring energy, focus and new ideas to our engaged team of volunteer directors. He or she will be committed to serving for at least 2 years in the Secretary position. Previous experience with BSA (as a coach, volunteer or parent) is a plus, but not required. Excellent communication skills in English are required. Additional languages (particularly French or Dutch) would be an added bonus.

Read the entire Board Secretary position description here.

Get in touch with the BSA Managing Director, Jodi Harris, by emailing office@bsasports.org to learn more or to communicate your interest in the position.

Brussels Sports Association Covid-19 Guidelines and Procedures

BSA is committed to do everything we can so that our players, coaches, parents and volunteers can safely return to sports in the upcoming fall season. We are working with our partners at the International School of Brussels to ensure that when our players are back on the field, we are following the guidelines of both our ISB partner and the regulations outlined by the Belgian authorities.

The BSA Board of Directors has outlined the following Covid-19 safety procedures. These procedures will be updated regularly to reflect any changes implemented by ISB or the Belgian authorities.

If your child is sick: 

• If your child is showing symptoms consistent with Covid-19 (cough, sore throat, fever over 37.5C) they should NOT participate in BSA sports.

• If your child is showing symptoms of Covid-19, immediately contact your doctor and notify the BSA by emailing office@bsasports.org.

• If your child has a positive Covid-19 test, they should follow the government protocols for quarantine and should not return to BSA sports until they receive a negative Covid-19 test. You should immediately notify BSA at office@bsasports.org.

• If your child has a negative Covid-19 test, they should continue to refrain from BSA activities until they have been symptom-free for at least 72 hours.

If a parent, guardian or another member of a BSA player’s family is sick:

• If you, a guardian or someone in your family is showing symptoms consistent with Covid-19 (cough, sore throat, fever over 37.5C) they should NOT come to a BSA activity (for drop-off, pick-up or as an observer). 

• Additionally, if a guardian or family member is sick or showing Covid-10 symptoms, all members of that household, (including siblings), should refrain from participating in BSA activities. You should notify BSA immediately by emailing office@bsasports.org.

• If you, a guardian or someone in your family is showing symptoms of Covid-19, immediately contact your doctor and notify the BSA by emailing office@bsasports.org.

• If you, a guardian or someone in your family has a positive Covid-19 test, they should follow the government protocols for quarantine and should not return to BSA activities until they receive a negative Covid-19 test. You should immediately notify BSA at office@bsasports.org.

• If you, a guardian or another individual in your family has a negative Covid-19 test, they should continue to refrain from BSA activities until they have been symptom-free for at least 72 hours.

When participating in BSA sports programming:

• All children are required to wear a mask during drop-off, pick-up and while awaiting instructions for play. As a general rule, unless engaged in play, your child should be wearing a mask. Please encourage your child to keep their mask easily accessible.

• Players must sanitize their hands upon arrival and before leaving the session. Hand-sanitizer will be available at all BSA activities.

• Players should maintain a distance of 1.5 meters during pick-up, drop-off, waiting on the sidelines and when receiving instruction from coaches.

• Your child must bring their own water bottle, clearly labeled with their name. The ISB drinking fountains will be disabled.

• Except where medically necessary (e.g. Type 1 Diabetes or other health condition), players should not bring snacks to BSA activities. If your child has a medical condition requiring them to have access to snacks, please be sure to denote in the “Health Considerations” section upon registration. Please also notify your child’s coach.

• For activities at the International School of Brussels, toilets will be available during BSA activities. Children will be allowed to go to the toilet one-at-a-time and must wash their hands before returning to play. When possible, players should use the toilet before coming to their BSA activity. 

• In order to maintain the utmost safety, it is important that your child be able to follow the instructions of their coach. Children who refuse to wear a mask, maintain appropriate social distancing or who otherwise cannot adhere to the BSA Covid-19 guidelines, should not participate in BSA programming.

In order to ensure the safety of our participants, their families and our volunteers, BSA will:

• Sanitize all equipment after each training session or game.

• Require that our coaches and volunteers wear face masks or face shields at all times during BSA activities.

• Require that our coaches and volunteers stay home if they have Covid-19 symptoms and that they notify their health care provider immediately.

• Require that any coaches or volunteers who have a Covid-19 diagnosis follow the Belgian government guidelines for quarantine and only return to BSA activities after completing a 14-day quarantine and receiving a negative Covid-19 test result.

• Limit the number of children engaged in each sports activity and maintain specific player cohorts throughout the period of the program for which a player is registered.

• Notify parents immediately if a player, parent, guardian or other close family member in their cohort has Covid-19 symptoms. All BSA activities within that cohort will be immediately suspended. In the event that the symptomatic individual receives a negative Covid-19 test, BSA may opt to resume programming for that cohort.

A PDF of our Covid-19 Guidelines and Procedures is available here. Please contact Managing Director Jodi Harris at office@bsasports.org with any questions.