The path to soccer excellence was given a big local boost on June 3.
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC last week announced the launch of a new Sea to Sky Regional Academy to be based in Squamish.
The academy is a partnership between the Squamish Youth Soccer Association, (SYCA) Whistler Youth Soccer Club and the Pemberton Youth Soccer Association and is similar to many other academy centres spread throughout Western Canada.
Rob Weys, the director for the SYSA, said his group has been talking with the Whitecaps for the past few years, and having the new turf field helped speed the process.
鈥淭his will be another layer of training for our kids,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t gives those kids with the skill level the chance to move on. The Whitecaps have a top-notch training program and they know what to look for. It鈥檚 more of a European model, and they start development at a young age and grow and train them.鈥�
Weys said this academy, along with the other academies in town, helps strengthen the sport in Squamish.
鈥淢ore soccer programs and more layers of training builds stronger players,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to see the results, and it created a buzz for the sport.鈥�
The three soccer groups in the Corridor have approximately 2,000 players.
Whitecaps officials said they鈥檙e happy to have a presence in Squamish. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very pleased to be partnering with the three main soccer associations in the Sea to Sky Corridor,鈥� said Whitecaps FC director of soccer development Dan Lenarduzzi. 鈥淲ith the proximity to our main centre in Vancouver, our staff will be able to work closely with the young talent in the region.鈥�
The Sea to Sky Academy is the ninth academy centre location for the Whitecaps; other centres are in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, the Kootenays, Kamloops, Northern 小蓝视频, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Lenarduzzi added that academy centres are also a direct link for communities to the 小蓝视频 Soccer Premier League.
鈥淥ur Sea to Sky Academy will certainly be part of the pathway in forwarding players to the 小蓝视频SPL鈥檚 regional team 鈥� Mountain FC,鈥� he said.
Whitecaps academy centre and pre-residency assistant coach James Merriman will be the head coach of the Sea to Sky Academy and will work closely with academy centre director Bart Choufour, who will oversee the curriculum and planning for the centre.
The academy will be by evaluation and invitation only and include boys and girls from U9 to U18. It will run in three phases: fall (September to December), winter (January to March) and spring (April to June). The fall phase will kick off this September with training on Friday evenings at the Brennan Park Turf Field.
Weys said the arrival of the academy is a big step for the sport in Squamish.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to grow and continue to provide our programs, and for us, that鈥檚 a lot of basic skills,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ther camps and programs build more skills. It would be great to develop a U21 Squamish team or an HPL team and maybe this could help. Squamish United with Ninder [Bir] is doing a great job, but we want kids to stay in Squamish and then move on to college or maybe pro.鈥�
He said the academy could also help the SYSA with fundraising efforts for another turf field and the completion of the kicking wall area.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to fundraise on multiple levels and focus on our own players, but all the help we can get is good,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t comes down to getting kids excited about soccer.鈥�
Whitecaps FC will hold a Prospects Camp for motivated and advanced players, from U-8 to U-16. The camp will run from July 13 to 15 at Brennan Park Fields and will also serve as an evaluation camp for the fall Prospects Academy.
For more information on Whitecaps FC Academy Centre programs, visit whitecapsfc.com/academy and select Sea to Sky.
