1st National Futsal Player ID Camp a Resounding Success
How many of these phenomenal talents will one day represent Canada in futsal?
The top 40 youth players from over 12 cities in Ontario and Quebec made the trek to engage in an excellent series of elite on-court and in-class futsal training sessions from Futsal Canada Technical Staff, Lorenzo Redwood and Roy Blanche. Players came from as far as Laval and Thunder Bay to join an elite cast from Ottawa, London, Montreal, Oshawa, Sarnia, Sudbury, and hosts Toronto, among others, and were thrilled to learn the tricks of the futsal trade.
Lorenzo and Roy running the players through training
The entire purpose of the camp was to bring together and identify the best male and female futsal talent between the ages of 13-17 and put them in a high-octane, pure futsal environment and to much excitement there were some diamonds in the rough discovered. The program initially sent out requests 3 months ago to futsal technical directors, coaches and league operators from across the country to select who the best 'futsallers' from each respective region were and well over 100 applicants came in from across 4 provinces. Players were selected based on their futsal experience and had to be recommended by both their league technical staff and coaches.
Futsal Canada Technical Staff Coach Lorenzo Redwood demonstrates what he wants from the players
A young player utilizing the sole of his shoe to control the ball, futsal style.
The fortunate 40 were then selected to come for the weekend and train – for free – under the tutelage of Redwood and Blanche, both of whom have some of best futsal playing and coaching experience that Canada has to offer. They were assisted by rising young futsal star Chris Duenas and top female futsal player Trina Byrne. The program content featured 6 hours of intense on-court training coupled with an in-depth classroom session that focused on tactical strategies, adapting and understanding the new FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game, along with a focus on the future of Canadian and international futsal. Players also watched international futsal clips and came out more motivated than ever to represent the red and white one day at a future FIFA Futsal World Cup.
One half of the dynamic Gill girls, Nadja focuses on developing her already strong ball control skills.
Players enjoyed the opportunity to relax and get to know one another through a pizza party at the host hotel on Saturday night before getting some well deserved rest.
Day 2 featured a great series of games in which coaches assessed players while correcting formations and tactics. Making a special guest appearance all the way from Brazil was Alex Barbara from Penalty, Futsal Canada's Official Ball Provider, along with Penalty's Canadian Director of Development and Distribution, Louis Robin, both of whom were impressed with what they saw. Publisher Emeritus of Inside SOCCER Magazine, Canada’s National Soccer Publication, Alfons Rubbens also attended the Sunday sessions and was quite thrilled with the action, particularly with the high quality of play from the girls.
Day 2 featured a great series of games in which coaches assessed players while correcting formations and tactics. Making a special guest appearance all the way from Brazil was Alex Barbara from Penalty, Futsal Canada's Official Ball Provider, along with Penalty's Canadian Director of Development and Distribution, Louis Robin, both of whom were impressed with what they saw. Publisher Emeritus of Inside SOCCER Magazine, Canada’s National Soccer Publication, Alfons Rubbens also attended the Sunday sessions and was quite thrilled with the action, particularly with the high quality of play from the girls.
The double gym at Seneca College proved a spacious venue to host all 40 kids
Parents, coaches, kids and staff alike were unanimous in their support of the program and expressed their desire to become even more heavily involved as it moves forward. F-PIC’s will go into the future with more camps across Canada while planning trips for elite players to the USA and Brazil over the next year for a series of training sessions along with entering top tournament competitions.
Futsal Canada Technical Staff Coach, Roy Blanche, Canada's most capped futsal player
From left: Louis Robin of Penalty Canada, Kris Fernandes of Futsal Canada, Alex Barbara of Penalty Brazil
A special thanks goes out to Lorenzo Redwood and Roy Blanche (for their excellent teachings) Kathleen George (for her beyond brilliant organization skills), Veronica Harispuru (for conducting some excellent player interviews, Chris & Pablo Duenas along with Trina Byrne (for their help in instructing the players, Kris Fernandes (for creating and putting the program together), Corrie Wiersema, Kyle Washington, Edwin Saraccini, Andy McKay for spearheading the movement in their regions and the great staff at Seneca College for everything they do.
Players and coaches happily smile together for a photo
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