(Royal City Soccer)

By Sheldon Spackman

Disappointment

Parents disappointed over no refund for cancelled summer camp

Jun 19, 2020 | 1:30 PM

A youth summer soccer camp provider is coming under fire from some local parents for not offering refunds for cancelled camps this year.

Described as Canada’s leading provider of grassroots soccer camps for youth ages 5-13, Royal City Soccer officials says they are not able to offer refunds for camps cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter posted on their website, program director Jeff Bryer says there were many factors that weighed in to their decision on canceling in-person camps this year.

“The ability to train staff, uncertainty of fields and facilities re-opening in time, reduced capacity of group sizes and, of course, the uncertainty of the impact COVID-19 will have in the coming weeks and months,” wrote Bryer. “If the Premier allows summer camps to take place under new guidelines, our camps will still NOT be running given all the other uncertainty and safety risks, however, we will be offering our virtual camps.”

Bryer says being a non-profit organization means they have little to no reserve funds available.

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“Most of the costs incurred for summer camp (some 90 per cent) occur in the 10 months leading up to the camp,” he explains. “Currently, most government funding does not help with the non-recoverable costs incurred to this point. We do not have the reserves to refund families.”

Bryer’s letter indicates Royal City Soccer can offer registered families three options this year: leaving the ‘in-person’ summer camp registration fee as a donation to the Royal City Soccer Club mission, convert their 2020 ‘in-person’ summer camp registration fee to Virtual camp sessions for the equivalent amount, or convert their 2020 ‘in-person’ summer camp registration fee to a credit for next year or future years of ‘in-person’ summer camps.

One local parent, however, says if Royal City Soccer is not able to provide the service, they should refund the registrations.

“I do not need a credit for next year,” they told rdnewsNOW. “This year is a difficult time for everyone, especially with kids being out of school and lot of parents without jobs. I am not sure about others, but I just want my money back so I can register my kids in other programs.”

For parents that didn’t choose one of the three options offered by Royal City Soccer within seven days of the letter, their balance would be used as a camp credit for future years.