Topsail stabbing: Soccer association eager to get back to normal

Soccer organizers are hoping the sounds of laughing children will return Tuesday evening to the soccer field in eastern Newfoundland where an 11-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck last week. 

The Conception Bay South Soccer Association immediately suspended activities after an attack during a drill session last Thursday evening. 

• Why the Topsail stabbing has shaken parents to the core

Calvin Randell, president of the C.B.S. Soccer Association, said the group's goal is to get things back to normal. 

"Not to minimize this, but it's like falling off a bicycle," he said. 

"You always encourage a child to get back on and start riding again. That's the key. To get out and start touching that ball."

Dozens of players and coaches were on the field Thursday evening when a young male ran onto the field and stabbed the boy in the neck, setting off a chaotic chain of events.

Nicholas Layman, 19, was arrested later in the evening and faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. Motives for the attack are not known, though sources have said it was a random act.

Laymen is undergoing a seven-day psychiatric assessment and is due in court again on Oct. 3.

The young victim remains in hospital. 

Experts from Eastern Health and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) will be on hand to provide counselling to anyone who may request it, said Randell.

Private areas will be available in the clubhouse.

"Anyone who wants to talk to a professional, I encourage it," said Randell, adding he is expecting an update on the victim's health later today.

Parents to participate

In order to lighten the atmosphere, Randell said parents are being invited to step onto the field with their children and take part in some drills.

"Let's see if you can do what your kids are doing, and maybe the children will have a laugh at your expense," he said.

Randell said it won't be easy for many of those who witnessed the incident to return to the field, but he said the experts say it's important to move forward.

"It's like going to the scene of an accident. You feel strange initially, you start doing what you love to do, and it will pass.

"The only thing we want is for the children to come back and realize this is a fun, safe place to be,"  he said. 

Randell said the level of support from the soccer community across Canada is "nothing short of fantastic." He even received a supportive email from a soccer club in Scotland.

"We're all going through this together, and I think together we can recover," he said.

'What if it was me?'

A spokesman for the Salvation Army, Aubrey Vincent, told CBC News that many of those who witnessed the stabbing have had difficulty sleeping and concentrating since the incident.

He said many have also been nagged by questions such as: "What if we were standing in these places? What if it was my child? What if it was me?

"It's fairly typical … that people will work through some of these questions."

Meanwhile, the soccer association will have discussions with police and town officials to ensure its crisis management strategy is up to par, but Randell said it's unlikely anything could have been done to prevent the attack.

"This could have happened in an arena, a school gym, anywhere there's a large amount of people around," said Randell.