BSC Field-Side AED A First!

Recently few members and staff of the Barrie Soccer Club were on hand for the official dedication of a field-side Automated External Defibrillator AED that had been installed at the club in earl June in time for the annual outdoor soccer season. Thanks to a suggestion of one of our members, the Barrie Soccer Club is pleased to provide, to our knowledge, the first field-side AED of any soccer club not only in Ontario but in Canada. Having an AED field-side provides a ready access to lifesaving equipment that could save the life of a player, parent, coach or spectator who may experience a cardiac incident on our site. We thank the Barrie Rotary Foundation and the Chase McEachren Memorial Fund who jointly funded the AED, Action first Aid who supplied the unit and the Club for its installation. Interestingly enough both John McEachren and Chris Gariepy are both former players with the BSC from its early days almost 50 years ago. Pictured left to right are Kim Venturini, George Clarke, Mark Cristante, Chris Gariepy, John McEachren, Roger Hennig for Action First Aid and Gina Bailey.

The installation of this field-side AED is just one of many "firsts" for the Club, including the first compulsory Drug Awareness Program launched last year. The Barrie Soccer Club is celebrating 50 years in 2018. Our Club was started by the Optimist Club of Barrie originally as Barrie Optimist Soccer and later Barrie Minor Soccer that evolved into the Barrie Soccer Club as we know it today serving over 2,000 youth and adults in Barrie and Simcoe County at our site at 7 Currie Drive, Midhurst and on many rental fields throughout the City of Barrie and Springwater Township annually. Our facilities on Currie Drive were donated to the BSC in 2005 by the Optimist Club of Barrie extending our 50 year partnership and the legacy of the founders of our Clubs.