Folks that have been touched by the sport of soccer in this area easily numbers in the thousands, though I can’t even imagine taking a guess at exactly what percentage of the population can lay claim to this fact.

Suffice to say that when it comes to digging up stories on those who have committed endless hours of volunteerism in support of the "Beautiful Game", the search in Sudbury is not a particularly difficult one.

It’s been a few years now since BettyLou Minifie was actively involved in the sport – but for a stretch of a quarter century or so, the supremely helpful Lively resident now in her late seventies could be found at a local soccer pitch most every night of the week – whether family was involved or not.

Her mother a war bride from England, Minifie was born in the summer of 1946 (in Canada), raised just a half hour due south of Owen Sound and spending summers regularly at Sauble Beach along the Lake Huron shorelines.

But it was her marriage to Howard, a banker who ventured all over the province before the family settled in these parts, that would ultimately open the door to a passion that BettyLou never discovered as a youngster.

“It was a boyfriend of our oldest daughter who suggested that Pat (their son) play soccer,” Minifie recalled recently. “He was eight and connected right away with a competitive team (Nickel City Steel). Howard was originally the team manager – but nobody could read his writing, so I kind of became manager of the team.”

As was her nature, BettyLou was soon immersed, though both parents can boast a resume of helping out in various roles on the local soccer scene.

“I was at every game, got to know everybody from the other teams and soon got involved as a team rep with the SRSA (Sudbury Recreational Soccer Association).”

Along with the likes of Adler Volpini and Milan Vrab, Tom Ryan and Tom Boustead, Minifie worked her way up the ranks, ascending to the role of president in 1998. And for as much as she could not draw from a lifetime of involvement with soccer, this hardly ever became a challenge too great to overcome.

In some ways, she considered her lack of soccer history a benefit.

“I never really cared what happened twenty years ago between two Sudbury soccer people – get over it,” she laughed. “I don’t care if you are 62 years old, if you can’t play like nice little boys, then go home.”

Hers was an approach that both suited her well - and garnered her respect throughout the soccer community.

“I think I treated everybody like my family because that is what soccer became for me,” said Minifie. “We met some fantastic people.”

Working closely with the NRSL (Northern Regional Soccer League) that helped broaden the game in this part of the province, Minifie also represented the region at the table of the OSA (Ontario Soccer Association), advocating within a system that is so often criticized for being excessively Toronto and southern Ontario centric.

“My belief was that the OSA needed to do more than just invite northern talent to GTA training camps and such,” she said. “They need to send people up here to more than just one game. They needed to reciprocate.”

“I wanted them to do as much for us as we did for them.”

Remaining involved well after her son’s playing days were over, BettyLou Minifie could never break the mold of that caring parent lining the sidelines of their children’s games. “Whenever I had a particularly frustrating day at work, I would purpose head out to one of the little rug-rats' games and watch them pick flowers,” she said with a smile.

“I would watch that little swarm of bodies following the ball everywhere. It used to warm my heart.”

“It reminded me that I could put up with the other crap that comes with the job.”

First cutting his teeth as a youth coach in 1995, Dino Moretta now helps guide his son’s team (GSSC U16 Impact) thirty years later. Last weekend, the accountant by trade somehow found time to organize the Great North Summer Fest in Sudbury, a gathering of 12 recreational soccer teams from across the north – even though he has absolutely no family ties to non-competitive soccer these days.

Above all else, Moretta is a man whose involvement is driven by a very deeply rooted love of soccer, regardless of skill level. It’s engrained in the very appreciation that he has for all those who want nothing more than to see the sport enjoyed by absolutely all those who can.

“I think the coaches and the players involved understood what I was trying to do,” said Moretta. “The coaches really focused on making sure the kids were having a good experience and loved playing soccer.”

The houseleague tournament featured three divisions (U10-U12-U14), with representation from Kapuskasing, Cochrane, Sudburnia, Nickel Centre and the GSSC. “There were a couple of uneven scores – but the coaches did their best to make sure that it didn’t get any worse – and we had some really even, competitive games,” stressed Moretta.

“On the field, you could see that they were definitely having fun – especially at the U14 level.”

Now in its second year of operation, the Summer Fest initiative was one of several undertakings that can be linked directly to the creation of the Greater North Soccer Association (GNSA), a grouping that both oversees the sport but also provides a forum where discussions between all of the various minor soccer associations in the north can take place.

“And you no longer need travelling permits, given that we are all one district," exclaimed Moretta. “That was another administrative burden that was alleviated.”

All of which has the vice-president of the GNSA sounding a note or more of optimism.

“It’s such an exciting time for Canadian soccer – and Sudbury soccer,” said Moretta. “At the end of the day, all of this is good for soccer.”

Finally, on the competitive scene, the GSSC Impact U13 Boys split a pair of games last weekend at home, chalking up a 2-0 victory on Saturday as An Mai and Carson Barr scored for the locals, with Aaron Flanagan registering the clean sheet.