The Sooke School District has raised the bar of its soccer academy thanks to a new partnership with Pacific FC.
The district announced Tuesday that the Canadian Premier League soccer club will assist Royal Bay Secondary, Edward Milne Community School and Dunsmuir Middle School with professional training opportunities for students at their current soccer academies.
“A lot of students are just glad to get a sense of normalcy again,” said Wayne Kelly, principal of sports academies and musical performance for SD62. “It’s fantastic to see these kids so passionate about the sport and we’re happy to give them this chance to do something they love.”
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Training will include on-field skills and scenarios as well as off-field physical and mental preparation. Pacific FC staff will work closely with academy teachers to provide what they hope will be a wholesome training experience for players.
There isn’t a cap on how many students will be able to join at each school, but last year they neared 100 students across their three soccer academies. They will consider expanding training blocks if the amount of participants are equally as high this year.
“We are looking forward to working with student athletes … to help them develop, both as players and people,” said James Merriman, Pacific FC’s associate head coach and technical director. “These years are key to developing their technique, insight, personality and speed.”
Learn more about the soccer academies at sd62.bc.ca/programs-services/academies.
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aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com
