Although the season happening is still up in the air, Estevan Minor Football is officially opening their registration on their website. With the season still a bit in question because of the pandemic, EMF is planning to have their full season and maybe even a workout or two in July, although they may look a little different.

If there are changes that come in both gameplay or practices, EMF President Kevin Mortenson said that they are being proactive in those regards.

"It's going to look different. There will possibly be stoppages in play because we have to clean the balls off with sanitizing them, when the kids are hitting bags, we're going to have to clean the bags off. We've already ordered them, they're not mandatory but in case they are, we wanted to make sure we got our hands on them but there's going to be what's called 'splash shields' and basically they're just a plastic liner that goes inside the helmet so if little Johnny spits, it doesn't affect anyone besides him."

While the splash shields have been purchased and are already on order, equipment and signup prices for kids will not be affected this year and will stay the same for all levels. Payment will not be taken at this time for people signing their kids up, but rather during equipment pickup in August if and when that happens.

Gatherings in the province are still off the table if it's over 150 people, which means crowds at games and especially at jamborees for the younger kids are still a topic of discussion between community football organizations and Football Saskatchewan, but hopes are optimistic. Because there is no specific definition in the province's outline of the reopening plan, football and other sports are still waiting for guidance on the province.

"We're working with Football Saskatchewan and Football Canada about how to deal with the whole pandemic and how we can get our game on the field. Everything is opening up more and more, we're in the middle of Phase 4 and Phase 5 before we can actually start playing. It's a bit of a grey area there."

This year was also supposed to mark the beginning of two new football teams in Estevan, the Women's Veragos team, and the Jr. Men's Roughnecks for men aged 23 and younger. For the women's team, plans to have that team on the field this year are going smoothly.

"Before the school closed, Shanelle Rioux and I had a quick meeting and we've got 23 girls interested in playing. They're going to be playing nine-man football. That team will also be a part of football weekend in Estevan."

Football weekend in Estevan is going to be one of their largest fundraisers of the year, set for September 18-20, and all teams are hopefully going to be a part of the festivities as well. The other major fundraiser will be the groceries for a year fundraiser they host, which will have more information coming out on in the next few months.

When it comes to the timeline of when things are going to happen, it may still be a while before we find out about the football season. The plan is still to begin practices in August, the regular season to begin in September, and maybe even a camp or a couple workouts with the athletes in July, but nothing is set in stone.

"Football Saskatchewan did put out a draft on how we're going to enter this season. We have a forum tonight via Zoom just to go through that, so there will be a lot of questions answered tonight (Tuesday) and they're going to have to rewrite that draft, and we're going to be following what Football Saskatchewan is mandating for return to football."