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“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
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