4th Annual National Capital Coaching Conference
Mar 16, 2010
Four of Canada's top soccer minds were in Ottawa March 5-7 to share their knowledge and skills with Ottawa soccer coaches, and to share their vision for the future of Canadian soccer with the head coaches and technical directors of Ottawa's soccer clubs. Jointly sponsored by the Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association (EODSA) and the Nepean Hotspurs Soccer Club, the 4th Annual National Capital Coaches Conference was a resounding success. This year's event was held in conjunction with celebrations to honour the Nepean Hotspurs Soccer Club's 40th anniversary.
The four Canadian Soccer Association coaches – Stephen Hart, Head Coach of the Men's National Team; Ray Clark, Director of Coaching and Player Development; Dave Benning, Manager of Technical Programs; and Tony Fonseca, National Staff Coach and Head Coach of the U-20 Men's National Team conducted technical sessions in the Ben Franklin Superdome (Greenbank & Hunt Club) on March 5th and 6th, with top players from the Ottawa area. These sessions were open to all Ottawa soccer coaches, with 110 coaches attending the Friday sessions, and over 70 coaches attending the sessions on Saturday
On March 7th, the CSA coaches met with the top technical leaders in the Ottawa soccer community to discuss the Canadian Soccer Association's long-term plans for the sport, and how Ottawa clubs can contribute to the future success of our National Team programs. Hotspurs Club Head Coach, Boris Bajagic (CSA National ‘A’ License) stated: "This event was an ideal opportunity for club coaches from across Eastern Ontario to observe Canada’s leading national coaches deliver technical and tactical age specific training as developed by the CSA.” Mr. Bajagic added “The Nepean Hotspurs have embraced the CSA’s vision for improving both the quality of training, and the quality of coaching, to ensure our young athletes reach their full potential playing the beautiful game. The attendance at this year’s conference proves that other Ottawa area clubs share that vision.”
Nepean Hotspurs Soccer Club President David Holder acknowledges the efforts of many partners to make the conference a reality “I am extremely pleased that Wayne MacDougall, the President of the EODSA and his board have continued to work with the Hotspurs to deliver this conference for the 4th consecutive year. In particular, we appreciate the personal efforts of Peter Menyasz, the EODSA’s Director of Development, in making this year’s conference such a success.” Thanks as well go to the other members of the Ottawa soccer community who volunteered top level teams to participate in the training sessions.
Dave Benning, Tony Fonseca, Boris Bajagic, Stephen Hart, Ray Clark
