Three English soccer players from three English counties gave children in Humboldt a good run around during their British Soccer Camp, August 20-24.
For Aston Radders from Taunton (Somerset) and Tom Robinson from Liverpool, it was the last leg of a seven-week series of soccer camps and the end of their first trip to Canada. The third coach, Will Wilson, who hails from Portsmouth, was leaving Humboldt for one more soccer camp in Yellowknife (NWT) before heading to Singapore, where he begins a new job with English Soccer Schools.
"It was a very good week in Humboldt," Wilson commented. "I've been in Canada for 17 weeks now, and on the whole, it's been a very good time."
All three of the lads have soccer in their blood and they were able to transmit the love of that sport to the children during their week in Humboldt. They unanimously agreed that the children they coached in Humboldt were among the most eager to learn of those they came across this summer.
"They really wanted to learn and play," said Robinson. "Often we'd found the kids (at other camps) are kind of there because they have to be, but these kids really wanted to be here."
Each day they worked with the children on individual foot skills, technical drills, tactical practices, and small-sided games.
But in the evening, the coaches ventured into new territory when they found themselves helping out with a different set of kids at the hockey conditioning camp that was running the same week at the arena.
"The coaches who were doing the conditioning camp wanted them to do "dry" fitness (i.e. not on the ice), but they couldn't get there in time to do it with them," Robinson said. "So we volunteered to just go out there and try to get them a bit fitter, and do it with them basically."
Then Robinson thought he'd give ice hockey a bit of a try, and one evening put on some goalie equipment and skates, and went out on the ice to find out what it was like.
"Well, I've always wanted to give ice-skating a go, " he said. "And when they got me on the ice with the goalie equipment, it was a lot of fun. All the young kids who were in the conditioning camp were taking shots at me, making fun of me."
It's back to soccer cleats for Robinson though, when he gets home. The youngest of the three coaches works for David Campbell Soccer, an independent coaching company in the U.K. for children and adults.
It just goes to show the distance young people can go in a sport or other activity with determination and opportunity. For these three lads, they have found their future with soccer and with helping others become better at it.
"Soccer is played in every country in the world because all you need is a flat piece of land," Wilson said in favour of the game. "Hockey is only played in seven countries in the world, because they are the only ones who can afford the equipment and to keep the ice.
"Even in poorest Kuala Lumpur or Ethiopia, they just have to find a ball and they can play."
