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Leon Brown President: Royal York Football Club i n t e r v i e w : Aviva Vetter p o r t r a i t : Ian Woo p h o t o s : Wilson Huynh Studio From Bristol Rovers to the Winnipeg Fury, Leon Brown lives and breathes soccer or as he commonly refers to as football. Years after he kicked his first ball, Leon brought the business and passion of football to the heart of Etobicoke by launching the Royal York Football Club. The Club’s mission is to inspire and teach football to players of all ages and skill level with the goal of increasing their technical ability. What made you decide to launch a soccer club? As an ex-footballer, I thought of opening a soccer club as a natural extension of myself. I remember the joy of kicking the ball for the first time as a child. I was always the one who rounded up all my friends and neighborhood kids to play. As I retired from my professional career, those memories were still so vivid. I needed to find my way back to football, in any capacity. So in 2009, I came full circle and launched Royal York Football Club and I’ve been living my passion ever since. The best feeling is that coming to the office doesn’t feel like work. What programs does the club offer? We offer a wide variety of training programs – youth house league, recreation and competitive soccer as well as recreation and competitive soccer for adults—something to suit every need. Our kids training programs are set in groups for both boys and girls. The classes range from Tiny Tots, ages 3-4—we get our young players moving, active and engaged with physical literacy as the primary focus. Mini Masters and Junior Champions classes are aimed at ages 5 through 9. At this stage we encourage players to have fun and be creative with the ball. Players aged 9 and up learn how to train. For players who want to be in a competitive environment, we offer multiple days specialized technical training programs, with the goal of teaching players to increase their technical ability with the ball at higher speeds and greater repetition. We also have player-centric classes, which cater to a girl’s development and technical building. Our football school and house league are the first entry point into the competitive world of soccer, for boys and girls ages 5-8. Last, but definitely not least, is our youth goalkeeping technical training, which focuses on goalkeeper skills and conditioning. Who is the team behind the Club? Attitude, skill and positive support are paramount to the game, for players, coaches and everyone in the player’s daily life. That’s why my team consists partly of international coaches, since they have an innate sense of the sport along with the attitude needed to bring out the best in each player. The bottom line is that my team, backroom staff and coaches must be better than myself and by teaching them to push their boundaries, I am ensuring the best possible outcome 72
“Soccer can play a key role in a child’s physical and social development. A player develops agility, speed, endurance as well as a strong knowledge of teamwork. Playing in a team can help develop a child’s ability to cooperate and interact with others.” for all involved. I strive to foster a collaborative, team workcentered environment for each coach and backroom staff so the feeling of camaraderie trickles down to the players, creating a positive football environment for everyone. How does soccer benefit children? Soccer can play a key role in a child’s physical and social development. A player develops agility, speed, endurance as well as a strong knowledge of teamwork. Playing in a team can help develop a child’s ability to cooperate and interact with others. Experiencing winning and losing as well as the highs of achieving a certain technique are also beneficial. An important developmental factor is not giving up when things fall short. To excel, communication is key and everyone must work together. Lastly, soccer is beneficial as it ensures each player’s confidence on and off the field, keeps them physically active and encourages strong civility within their family, friends and community. How important is technique to the game? Technique is everything in football. Even at an individual’s active start age, teaching minimal technique with regard to basic movement is paramount. As a player delves deeper into the sport, technique along with an intimate understanding of the game becomes increasingly imperative. It’s no longer enough to be fast, big or strong. There comes a time in a player’s lifespan when they have to continuously demonstrate technique and composure with the ball. If interested, how does one get to the professional level of football? Making it to the professional level is extremely difficult— about one percent of players will actually go all the way. Enrollment at Royal York comprises mainly of recreational soccer. The majority of players join Royal York Football Club to experience good technical football training in a football environment, develop technical skills, have fun and play the game to the best of their ability. The other percentage enrolls with the hope of taking their game to the collegiate level or to experience football overseas. This is where the business of football begins. To really have the best chance of getting to the top, children would normally begin training between the ages of 5-11. Aside from the player having soccer as his or her primary focus and often only vision in life, technique, fitness, strength and a strong attitude is everything when it comes to competing at the very top. Our role here at Royal York Football Club is to be the cornerstone of a child’s training and development with the aim of achieving their playing goal. If a player flies through the various development stages while demonstrating professional level qualities, we would do our utmost to get 73
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QMAGAZINE Toronto West
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