By Stephen Dafoe
Morinville – Although soggy fields delayed a start-of-season soccer camp, the Town is planning to reschedule the event for June 15 and 16. The two-day event will feature 90 minutes of instruction each day from some international talent.
“We’ve got two instructors that have both played international soccer,” Morinville’s Operations and Program Coordinator Tyler Edworthy said, adding Jorge Rodriguez and Ed Charpentier will instruct the program. “They both played a high level of soccer. We’re actually quite lucky to have them coming out to do some instruction for our soccer program here.”
Jorge Rodriguez began his pro career with the Jr. Team in Audax Italiano, Chile from 1972 to 1976 and played professionally for eight other teams until 1992, at that time playing with the Edmonton Brickmen. Among his varied experiences as a soccer coach, Rodriguez spent two years coaching with the Alberta Summer Games, spent five years as Alberta U-14 selects coach, and was Technical Director for the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association.
Joining Rodriguez on the field is Ed Charpentier who has 20 years of coaching experience at various levels. Like Rodriguez, Charpentier has spent time as Summer Games coach and as Technical Director for Edmonton Minor Soccer.
Edworthy said the goal of the camp is not to take away from what the Morinville Minor Soccer Association is presently doing, but to use the skills of the two career soccer instructors to assist what is being done locally. “We’re trying to influence that program and provide their instructors and their players with some skills,” Edworthy said.
The two-day camp will be broken into two groups: players ages 8 to 12, and players 13 to17. Personal skill development will be the focus for both age groups. “They will touch on some play making, but we don’t want to take away from what the coaches are doing, especially mid-season. We don’t want to touch on that too much.”
Edworthy is hoping to make the camp an annual event and said it ties in with what he and the Town are trying to do with sport in the community. “I want to make sure that the kids are being developed as far as possible,” he said. “If they are putting in the time, we want to make sure that they are getting proper instruction in that time, and making sure that they are reaching the goals they are setting for themselves.”
The Town has recently established a Sport Development Committee that is working towards those goals. “We are following the Canadian Sport For Life initiative, which is an excellent initiative that touches on all kinds of development,” Edworthy said. “It’s a great program.”
Cost of the soccer camp is $30 per person. For more information contact Tyler Edworthy at 780-939-7834.
