The Pearl River Soccer Club is moving forward with plans to have a spring season and the start date is fast approaching.

Practices will start next week in preparation for the beginning of the season.

A U12 girls team and coed U14 team will then be taking place in the Great Day Of Soccer Tournament on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24 to kick off the season. The rest of the teams in the older age brackets, U10, U12, U14 and U15 will begin their season on Jan. 30, with the younger age groups starting on Feb. 13.

The season will include teams from the North Shore League in Louisiana, so clubs will be traveling back and forth to compete.

The PRSC already knows how to plan for a season taking place during a pandemic after successfully hosting a fall season late in 2020.

Dave Ortmann, president of PRSC, said preparation for this season focused on being efficient and proactive so as to have ample time to deal with any issues that may arise.

“I feel like we’re ahead of the (curve). Things have been much smoother getting in. We pretty much went about business as usual, which will give us time to get everything organized with the coaches and practice times set up,” Ortmann said.

The fall season went without a hitch, but it was under constant threat of cancellation.

Vaccine production was still weeks away when the fall season was taking place and case numbers were rising, which hung over the league as it tried to get through its schedule.

However, Ortmann is more optimistic heading into this season seeing as there seems to be more weapons to be used against COVID-19.

“It seems like everything is moving forward. I know all of our spring tournaments are a go. Everything that I know of in Mississippi is a go. Some of our teams, if it doesn’t come in conflict with the league schedule, we’ll try and get into some tournaments,” Ortmann said.

PRSC’s spring season is set to end in early March with teams then taking part in a district tournament for rec squads on March 27 and March 28.

Things are looking up for PRSC and Ortmann is hopeful the organization’s proactive approach in the early planning stages will pay off when games begin.

“I expect this season will run much smoother. We’re more heads up now, we’re not going to wait around. We’re going to get team pictures in, have practices set up and we’re working on getting coaches right now,” Ortmann said.