Five proficient coaches travelled from the UK to share their soccer expertise with up and coming players from the Saugeen Shores Football Club. From left, Maddy Hatton from Liverpool, England; Paddy Schofield from Wicklow, Ireland; Orla Higgins from West Cork, Ireland; Evan Murray from Dublin, Ireland and Jamie Park from Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Hub Staff
Youth soccer players in Saugeen Shores took to the J.H. Robertson Soccer Complex in Port Elgin July 15 to 19 to strengthen their ball handling skills under the guidance of five guest coaches from the United Kingdom.
The camp saw over 145 Saugeen Shores Football Club (SSFC) players, aged 3 to 16, in attendancece, with the younger divisions taking the morning shift and the older ones in the afternoon. Challenger Camp Coordinator Alycia Tedford said they’ve run the camp for over five years and that each year both the coaches and participants enjoy a rewarding experience.
To keep things interesting, every day of the camp is assigned a different theme and July 17 was Wacky Wednesday. All sorts of colourful, funky costumes were sported on the soccer pitches which added an extra bit of fun to their drills.
The week was set to close Friday with a Mini World Cup Tournament. At the beginning of the camp, players were assigned to a country which each of them researched and will represent in the tournament. Players also spent time decorating their soccer balls that they will keep as mementos.
Coach Jamie guided SSFC participants through a ball handling drill at the 2019 Challenger Soccer Camp in Port Elgin July 17.
Players line up, ready to practice their new moves at the SSFC Challenger Camp at the J.H. Robertson Sports Complex.
Maielle MacRitchie showed off her Wacky Wednesday attire during Day 3 of the 2019 SSFC Challenger Soccer Camp.
Penelope Tedford adorned her Challenger Camp ball with the names of her soccer camp coaches, who she referred to as “coaches of the year."
Young athletes at the SSFC Soccer Camp challenged their opponents with new skills taught by guest coaches from the UK.
