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Soccer is the real football

Canada is a diverse country. That is what Darragh O’Riordan, the lead instructor for Challenger Sports British Soccer Camps is finding as he travels the nation.
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The morning group of the British Soccer Camp pose for a group picture in front of one of the soccer nets at Cecile Martin Park.

Canada is a diverse country.

That is what Darragh O’Riordan, the lead instructor for Challenger Sports British Soccer Camps is finding as he travels the nation.

Challenger Sports is a company that specializes in putting on soccer camps for youth all over North America.

O’Riordan was in Barrhead July 30 to Aug. 4 at Cecile Martin Park where he and a group of three other instructors from all over the United Kingdom put a on camp for about 25 children from ages three to mid-teens.

“This is the first time I have taken part in the camp and it has been a wonderful experience. Not only to be able to teach and pass my love of soccer, but to see your wonderful country,” he said, adding he considers himself fortunate to be one of the few applicants to be accepted as a coach.

O’Riordan first learned about the camps during an information session shortly before Christmas at Swansea University, in Wales where he is in his first year towards earning an accounting and finance degree.

After deciding he wanted to become a coach he then had to fill out a small mountain of paperwork where he had to list in detail his experience in the sport.

“Then we had to go to this place in England where about 300 prospective coaches met, trained for the weekend, tested us,” he said, adding it is at that point when the prospects are asked where they would like to go. “I chose Canada because it is somewhere I have always been interested in.”

However, even though O’Riordan passed the test and chose where he would like to tour, he didn’t know he had officially been accepted until March.

“It is quite a long process in the end and they really keep us guessing right up until the end,” he said.

O’Riordan arrived in Canada at the end of June flying to Toronto before going to Petawawa and other camps in Northern Ontario.

“That was awesome. The town [Petawawa] is built around a military base so that is very cool,” he said.

From there O’Riordan went to B.C. to take part in a series of camps in Elkford and Trail before going to Rocky Mountain House just before arriving in Barrhead.

“B.C. was really cool being right in the mountains and last week in Rocky Mountain House and going to a lake [Alford] surrounded by trees,” he said.

Unfortunately, O’Riordan doesn’t believe in the few weeks he has left before going home he will have the opportunity to see much of the prairies outside of Alberta, noting he envied the coaches who had an opportunity to go to Regina and a Saskatchewan Roughriders game.

“I wish I could have seen it. All the coaches said it was a real experience, but they all said our football is the real football,” he joked.

Depending on the age group and whether they were enrolled in the half or full day most of the Barrhead camper’s day program started at 9 a.m. with instruction followed by drills to enhance the skills before taking part in a mini World Cup tournament.

Every camper was put on a World Cup team on their first day of camp.

At the end of the camp, the different World Cup teams will play each other in a soccer match. In addition to playing against each other, players will have to learn a fact, not only about what the country they are representing, but the other countries they are competing against.

“The kids just love it,” O’Riordan said.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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