A handful of soccer players from Niagara are rubbing shoulders with the pros.
Ten boys from Elite Soccer Academy boarded a plane to Europe to eat, breathe and live soccer in Scotland as part of an International Training Camp with the Celtic Football Club earlier this month.
"They live for a week like a true academy player does," said academy director James McGillivray. "It helps give the kids a true soccer experience to really enjoy the game."
The Elite Soccer players trained at Celtic's first team training ground at Lennoxtown and received individual feedback based on performance in training and games, including living the day-to-day life of a professional soccer player. The trip was part of Elite Soccer Academy's goal to change the culture in Canada when it comes to player development.
"I think development in Canada has been a big issue. I think the problem is that we put our kids in a pressure situation where winning is the most important thing," said McGillivray. "At only 11 or 12 years old, they're playing on full-sized fields, so their first impulse is to boot the ball as far as they can."
The trip to Scotland was just one move by the young academy to bolster its cause for being one of the leading development programs for soccer players in Niagara.
Elite Soccer Academy is a sports development program that has kids, aged 10-17, from across the Niagara region, but aims to give its players experience outside of the region. Elite Soccer Academy began in 2005 and has grown with more than 60 players.
"We knew a lot of young kids who were decent soccer players, but wanted more out of the game," said McGillivray. "We wanted to give them an opportunity to train three times a week and still play a competitive game. We don't keep standings in our league. Winning is not the most important thing to a player's development."
The Elite Soccer Academy is so focused on player development that they changed the landscape for their under-10 players. The U10's play three 20-minute periods with six aside on a smaller field including smaller nets. The under-12 group play on a slightly larger field with bigger nets with nine aside.
"Our mandate is three practices a week for every game. In club soccer, you'll have two games a week and only practice once," said McGillivray. "How do you develop a kid when you only practice once?"
As if flying to Scotland to train with the pros wasn't enough, Elite Soccer Academy's president, Clayton Rosario, took three teams (U9, U10 and U11) across the border to Cleveland, Ohio to play in the AC Milan Continental Cup, which is one of the fastest growing international youth soccer tournaments in the United States. AC Milan sends staff to scout the top under-11 players for a showcase team that will travel to Italy. Rosario has built up such a good relationship with the Cleveland Sports Commission and the Niagara Sports Commission that he is planning to launch an AC Milan-sponsored soccer tournament in Fort Erie next month.
"The long-term goal is to make Niagara a premier destination for our International tournament and invite scouts and FIFA agents from all over the world," said Rosario. "Also, it is our intention to invite top teams from all over the world and host international coaching symposiums."