The province is poised to lift all restrictions on July 1 and with this comes a barrage of new sporting events for the community to enjoy.
Here is a list of what to expect from some of the key sports in the St. Albert over the next month:
Fastball
The St. Albert Angels took to the field for the first time a couple weeks ago. Meadowview Diamonds were filled with excited players as they tackled their first exhibition games in more than a year. Every Angel team, ranging from 11U to 14U, took home wins.
St. Albert and Stony Plain are co-hosting a huge Prairie League Softball event at Meadowview Diamonds and Meridian Diamonds July 16 to 18 that will include 68 teams from across Alberta. The 12UB, 14UB, and 16UB teams will battle it out in Stony Plain, while the 12UA, 14UA, and 16UA will stay home in St. Albert.
A complete schedule for the event hasn't been released yet.
Baseball
The Cardinals took flight two weekends ago as they booted up their season after a prolonged break. The 11U Cardinals opened up to a 1-2 start on opening weekend with some furious action against the Parkland Twins and Leduc Blackgold 47s.
They weren’t the only team that got things going at Legion Field as a flurry of games took place this Father’s Day, with action from the 18U, 15U, and 13U teams, too. The season is well underway for each of these teams and full schedules can be found at stalbertbaseball.com under the "Diamond Calendars" tab.
Slo-Pitch
The St. Albert Men’s Slo-Pitch Association (SAMPSA) got their start this week. They have debuted a brand new 70s-plus division. Fifty-six teams are in the league this year, which features divisions ranging from 40s plus to 70s plus.
SAMPSA has a rich history in the community that dates back to 1979 and this season the sport is entering its 42nd year in the city.
Visit SAMPSAslowpitch.com for more information on the league and their schedule.
Tennis
The St. Albert Tennis club is back in business. People are now free to participate in drop-in single and doubles games. The club is also allowing organized events to be played. Players are still required to follow mask mandates and social-distancing measures.
The club is also offering youth camps this summer that start on July 5 and end on Aug. 16. Registration for those camps opened on Monday.
Visit their website at stalberttennis.club for more information on membership and how to register for camps.
Pickleball
Pickleball enthusiasts will have to wait just a little bit longer until they can take to the courts. Construction on the Alpine Courts has delayed the start of the season. Organized play is expected to start on July 5.
The Pickleball Canada National Championship will be held in Henry Singer Park in Spruce Grove on Aug. 10 to 15.
Visit pickleballstalbert.ca for more info.
Football
The gridiron sport has returned to St. Albert, too. The St. Albert Minor Football Association (SAMFA) had kids back on the field as early as June 1 and held their first games this past weekend.
The U16 and U19 Female Midget Valkyrie teams were on Larry Oleiuk field as they took on the Wetaskiwin Warriors. Visit SAMFA.ca and their Facebook page for details.
Rugby
Registration for the 2021 Rugby season is officially open in St. Albert. There is no schedule in place, but U13 to U19 games are expected to start in July/August.
For younger kids there is U9 and U7 flag rugby that started up on June 4 and will run until Aug. 20. During that same time span there is also a U11 introduction to contact and U5 introduction to rugby.
Visit stalbertrugby.com for more information.
