Nine local soccer players are on the provincial soccer team radar for their various age groups.
The group — six males and three females — were announced as part of BC Soccer’s phase one of their high performance development programming.
Goalkeeper Sebastion Colyn has been selected to the U13 squad, while a pair of defenders, Erick Chmelyk and John Kasper, are part of the U14 program.
The U15 team features midfielder Nestor Valencia, while the U16 team has midfielder Connor Hildebrant and defender Vaggeli Boucas.
The girls teams’ include goalkeepers Alyssa Smith and Ashleah McDonald on the U14 and U15 teams, respectively, and midfielder Isabella Boccia on the U14 squad.
This first phase of the provincial teams program is one of four phases of high performance programming.
It will see the players entering additional training phases and traveling within the Pacific Northwest as preparation for both the U13 and U14 regional competition in Winnipeg and the U15 and U16 national competition in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia in July.
“This transition into a new era of programming provides a number of benefits for the players, coaches and the overall development structure within BC Soccer,” said Michael Findlay, the director of soccer development and head coach of the U16 boys provincial team program.
As part of the overall development strategy Vancouver Whitecaps FC will be using the BC Soccer Provincial Teams Program development phases as additional opportunities to evaluate and assess players within the training and match environments during this time for potential selection into the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency and the Girls Elite Program.
“In addition to the presence of our partner Vancouver Whitecaps FC, it also includes the opportunity to select a different group of players within each phase, a significant reduction in fees, the inclusion of a number of EA Sports B.C. Soccer Premier League coaches within the coaching staff and ultimately it continues to provide a responsible staircase approach to the development of players within British Columbia.
The program provides a framework for players who aspire to play with the male and female Canadian national teams and with the men’s and women’s programs of our professional partners Vancouver Whitecaps FC,” said Findlay.
They commence their training schedule on April 3 and go until April 11.
The next phase of training program begins on May 22.
