An Update to the Membership of the Cochrane Minor Soccer Association (Cochrane Wolves FC)
Dear CMSA Families, Members, and Community Partners, We are writing to update you on the state of your Club and on the work that has been happening behind the scenes since a new Board of Directors took office in November 2025, followed by new Technical Leadership in February 2026. We know many of you have questions. This letter is our attempt to answer them honestly, to explain the road ahead, and to ask you to be part of what comes next.
Why We Needed to Act
When this Board and Technical Leadership stepped in, we made a commitment to look under every rock. We reviewed the Club’s finances, its viability, and its day-to-day practices. We examined why both our Competitive and House League numbers had been declining. We compared every staff role and its compensation against industry standards. We conducted a full review of how we develop young players, measuring our structures and protocols against current research in youth sport.
What we found was not easy to hear. The Club was not in a healthy financial position. At points, the possibility of closure, or a hiatus of operations, was seriously discussed. We do not own or lease a permanent home. There is no office, no field, no facility that belongs to Cochrane Wolves FC. Every hour our kids spend on grass or turf, we are paying rent for it, and those costs are significant. We also confirmed something many of you may not have realized – the fees families pay do not cover the actual cost of getting a child on the field. For some time, the Club has been operating in a way that was not sustainable, and adjustments to programming and outlines had to be made throughout the year as these realities came into focus.
We also found that a number of paid staff and coaching roles carried remuneration well above what comparable clubs in our region pay for similar work. As part of righting the Club’s finances, several contracts and positions have been discontinued. These were not easy decisions, and we do not take them lightly, but they were necessary to protect the long-term health of the organization.
This is our invitation to you: Help us change the game. With sincere thanks for your patience, your trust, and your continued support, The CMSA Board of Directors and Technical Leadership
What We Are Building
A dire financial picture is only half the story. The other half is what your new Board and Technical Leadership have done with it.
We have begun the work of stabilizing our budget and restructuring how the Club is staffed. Over the next three years, Cochrane Wolves FC will shift toward an industry standard, volunteer based coaching model for the lower levels of competition we participate in here in Calgary and area, while
keeping our focus on quality development at every level. This is how well-run clubs of our size operate, and it allows us to direct limited resources where they matter most.
We have also gone looking for partners, because no club our size can do this alone. We are proud to share that we have begun new relationships with Tim Hortons, Canalta Hotel, Kids Help Phone, Heal Wellness, KidSport Calgary & Area, and the Flames Sports Bank. The Government of Alberta, Tourism and Sport, has also recognized our efforts, particularly the growth of our Girls with Goals initiative, and we are proud to be building that relationship further.
None of this has stayed on paper. Our new House League program, Canalta Soccer Saturday, was a genuine success this year. We piloted a goodwill program that sent two teams of boys and girls, with first-time coaches gaining valuable experience, to Lac la Biche for the SoccerFest tournament. Our competitive coaches have started meeting regularly to further their own soccer education. And for the first time in years, one of our own teams competed at Provincials.
Where We Stand
We will not sugarcoat it: this Club was in real trouble, and in some ways, it still has hard road ahead. But where closure or hiatus were live conversations less than a year ago, we can now say with confidence that a clear and credible path to a stronger, more stable Club exists. That path runs through honest budgeting, right sized staffing, real partnerships, and a Board and Technical Leadership who are proud to have taken on this responsibility and to work alongside our staff, coaches, and volunteers to see it through.
Our Ask of You
Salvaging this Club is possible on our own. Building something Cochrane can be proud of for decades to come is not, not without you. We are asking every family, member, and supporter to help us bring corporate Cochrane to the table. Talk to your employer, your neighbours, your local business contacts. Introductions matter. As this town continues to grow, this game deserves a long, prosperous future in it, and that future is only possible if the whole community helps build it.
This is exciting news for parents and young athletes! This camp not only focuses on skill development through individualized training but also emphasizes teamwork and social interaction. With experienced coaches guiding the sessions, participants will enjoy a well-rounded experience that balances fun and learning.