The Alberni Valley Youth Soccer U10/11 Development team concluded their inaugural season with some skill development and a lot of fun.
The team of 18 players travelled to Victoria to watch the Victoria Highlanders Football Club take on the Seattle Sounders U23 squad in the Premier Development League (PDL).
The youth players were invited to walk out with the Highlanders at the beginning of the game for introductions and the national anthems. They stayed down on the field for the rest of the game to retrieve the out of bounds balls.
The kids were extremely excited to be involved in the game and so close to the action on the field. It was a hard-fought match to the end with a 1-0 final in favour of the Sounders.
On Saturday an inspiring and high energy practice was led by Highlanders Assistant Coach Sean Prizeman (hometown: Dublin, Ireland) and the Highlanders’ two newest top prospects Andrew Ofosu and Eva Batousol, both from Frickley F.C./Sheffield Hallam University London, England.
The Highlanders connected extremely well with the kids, encouraging them to achieve their goals and to take out what they can from what is known as the “worlds most beautiful game.”
Coach Prizeman said, “The training session with the team was amazing; it was beautiful seeing the love and passion for the game in the kids”.
Coach Travis Cross added, “This was our year end event for the development team. Our coaching staff felt very lucky to be coaching such a committed and hard working bunch of kids. The improvement we have seen in each player from September until now is indicative of the effort each one of them gave each time they came to the field. Coaches were extremely impressed with their focus and work ethic. We thoroughly enjoyed our season.”
The team would like to thank their sponsors Kingsley Trucking and McCoy Lake Excavating for their support.
They also want to thank the AVYSA Board for supporting the development program throughout the year.
The development program will run again next year for U9-U12 players who are interested in taking their game to the next level. Practices will begin again next September. There are no tryouts to join the development team, the only requirement is commitment to the program. For more information please go to www.avsoccer.com.