RDA World

RDA, Riverside Ring in the New Year in Style!

2012-01-25T14:09:00.002-05:00

RDA and Riverside Canada celebrated the new year with a dazzling exhibition of skill and talent at the RDA- Riverside Scrimmage held on January 15 2012 at Soccer City in Etobicoke.

In front of parents, local coaches, European scouts and representatives from several International Associations, the players showcased their talents to an appreciative, enthusiastic and overawed crowd.

Everyone in attendance was impressed with the level of play and the intensity between the teams as the players demonstrated their skills and abilities. The Showcase Division provided the opportunity for the scouts to take a first hand look at the players who will be vying for places in Europe later this year.

The Boys U16 Division provided the most fireworks as both teams dazzled the crowd with an impressive display of top level soccer. The U10 Girls Division showcased the continued development of the younger Academy players as they continue to impress with their progress.

RDA would like to thank the staff, the team coaches and the players from Riverside Canada for hosting the scrimmage and for providing high quality opposition in an extremely well contested, intense and very skillful series of showcase games.

Players interested in trying out for RDA teams are asked to contact the RDA Staff for more details.

RDA Alumni Selected For 2nd Round of the U20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament!

2012-01-06T16:20:00.000-05:00

RDA Alumni Alisha Leila, Kailey Leila, Ashlee Savona and Elysia Prasad have been selected to represent Guyana in the second round of the CONCACAF U20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament being held in Cuba from January 4-11 2012.

RDA extends our congratulations to Alisha, Kailey, Ashlee and Elysia as they continue to excel at the International level.

All the RDA Staff and trainees are proud of your dedication and hard work to reach this level and you will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of your training partners in the Academy.

RDA is proud to be able to offer these opportunities to our trainees and Alumni as part of RDA’s ongoing commitment to excellence for all of our players.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration at:

RDA Registration 2012

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the RDA Staff immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

RDA and Riverside to Kick Off 2012 With a Scrimmage January 15th!

2012-01-02T20:06:00.002-05:00

On January 15 2012, RDA and Riverside Canada will renew their growing on-field rivalry by contesting another series of scrimmages.

The scrimmages will showcase the RDA U10 Girls, the RDA U16 Boys and the RDA Senior team in competition with teams from Riverside Canada.

RDA is pleased to be able to offer RDA trainees the opportunity to play competitively against quality opposition and will continue to arrange competition against other academies and teams in order to further enhance RDA's training philosophies.

Stay tuned to RDA for further details.

Players interested in trying out for RDA Teams are asked to contact the RDA Staff for more details.

RDA, Riverside Teams Dazzle in Scrimmage!

2011-12-27T03:23:00.002-05:00

RDA and Riverside Football Academy held an inter-academy scrimmage at Soccer City on December 18 2011. Teams of U10 (U8-U10) girls and U15 (U13-U15) boys played several high intensity exhibition games following a short practice session.

The quality of football on display from the teams was at a very high level. Academy training stresses the fundamentals that are usually lacking in most of the games on display in Ontario soccer and that was quite evident by the way the teams were moving the ball up and down the field with precision and skill.

Overall RDA's teams played 6 games- 2 games against Riverside's U10 girls, 2 games against Riverside's U15 boys and 2 games with RDA's U15 boys playing against a mixed older team from Riverside.

The overall results were very positive for RDA and the RDA Staff was very pleased with the performance of both RDA teams throughout the day.

RDA would like to thank the staff, the team coaches and the players from Riverside Canada for hosting the scrimmage and for providing high quality opposition in an extremely well contested, intense and very skillful series of showcase games.

It is the intent of the staff at both RDA and Riverside Canada to hold these scrimmages at least once a month to further enhance the development of both programs by incorporating high level games in conjunction with the high level training players are receiving as part of an academy program.

Players interested in trying out for RDA teams are asked to contact the RDA Staff for more details.

RDA Alumni Selected For U20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament!

2011-11-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

RDA Alumni Alisha Leila, Ashlee Savona and Elysia Prasad have been selected to represent Guyana in the CONCACAF U20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament being held in Guyana from November 2-6 2011.

RDA extends our congratulations to Alisha, Ashlee and Elysia as they continue to excel at the International level.

All the RDA Staff and trainees are proud of your dedication and hard work to reach this level and you will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of your training partners in the Academy.

RDA is proud to be able to offer these opportunities to our trainees and Alumni as part of RDA’s ongoing commitment to excellence for all of our players.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

RDA Alumnus Selected For U20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament!

2011-10-25T00:20:00.000-04:00

RDA Alumnus Nadia McKenzie has been selected to represent Jamaica in the CONCACAF U20 World Cup Qualifying Tournament being held in Cuba from October 21-28 2011.

RDA extends our congratulations to Nadia as she continues to excel at the International level.

All the RDA Staff and trainees are proud of your dedication and hard work to reach this level and you will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of your training partners in the Academy.

RDA is proud to be able to offer these opportunities to our trainees and Alumni as part of RDA’s ongoing commitment to excellence for all of our players.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

Professional Opportunities for Female Players in Italy!

2011-10-17T13:28:00.001-04:00

RDA is currently looking for female footballers to play in Italy.

This is a multiple club opportunity for the right candidates.

Our contacts in Italy are currently looking for highly skilled players for both 11 v 11 football and to play club Futsal in the Italian league.

Our initial focus will be to send 6-10 highly skilled players on a 2 week exhibition trip in order for the Italian scouts and club officials to assess and determine the best level of play (from Serie A to Serie D) that each player would be most effective at.

It will also give the candidates on the trip exposure to the European market and allow them to determine if they wish to pursue their goal of playing professional football in Europe.

RDA is looking at having the players leave in November for the trip.

The players will be returning to Canada for the holidays and to make the necessary arrangements to return to Italy for the January transfer window to begin play with their new clubs for the duration of the season (until May-June 2012).

As this is a time sensitive opportunity, we require players of serious nature ONLY.

RDA will ask players to attend assessment sessions to determine if they are the right candidates for this opportunity.

RDA will not send any player who just wants to show up for a "tryout". In order to properly prepare players for the European market, players who are selected will be required to train with RDA until they leave.

RDA will discuss all opportunities with the right candidates once they have committed to attending the assessment sessions.

Players trying out are asked to contact the RDA Staff for more details.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

RDA Indoor Leagues Set to Begin!

2011-10-10T20:22:00.000-04:00

RDA is proud to announce that the High Performance Training League and the Development Training League will be an added feature of RDA training in 2011-2012.

The Leagues will begin in late October 2011 and will be available to RDA registered players only.

Stay tuned to RDA for further details.

Players interested in trying out for the League are asked to contact the RDA Staff for more details.

RDA Alumni Selected To Play In Switzerland!

2011-09-06T12:53:00.000-04:00

RDA is proud to announce that RDA Alumni Megan Welch, Ashley Bent and Kayla Chambers have been selected to play football at Swiss club F.C. Neunkirch.

Megan, Ashley and Kayla have arrived in Switzerland to begin their exciting new adventure playing professional football in Europe.

Megan was chosen from among 10 candidates for the immediate opportunity as RDA continues to assist Canadian female players to follow their dream to play professionally in Europe.

Ashley comes to RDA through our affiliation with the Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club and the club's Technical Director, Paul Omaghan. RDA and the Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club will be continuing to identify players with the talent, work ethic and drive to succeed in the European market as part of an ongoing association.

Kayla was identified though RDA's association with the University of Tulsa and Head Coach Kyle Cussen.

Through our growing affiliations in new areas, RDA now provides opportunities for players from the Caribbean and the United States who, along with Canadian players, are looking to further their careers by playing professionally in Europe. RDA will soon be expanding our International reach to Africa and South America as we continue to identify and provide opportunities for serious players to become successful abroad.

The assessment program will be continuing in order to identify, select and train more candidates that possess the technical and tactical skills, game intelligence and physical attributes that are required by clubs in the professional environment in Europe.

RDA is extremely honored to be able to provide these opportunities to female players, who represent the largest under serviced segment of the North American soccer landscape, to pursue their football careers beyond University and College by being offered the opportunity to play professionally in Europe.

RDA extends our congratulations to Megan, Ashley and Kayla as they take their careers to the next level playing in Europe.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for the RDA’s Training Program at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the RDA Staff immediately.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

RDA Alumni Selected to Guyana U20 National Team Squad!

2011-08-16T11:53:00.000-04:00

RDA is proud to announce that RDA Alumni Alisha Leila, Ashlee Savona, Kailey Leila and Elysia Prasad have been selected to the squad that will represent Guyana in the U20 Women's World Cup qualifiers in the Caribbean Football Union 1st round Qualifying Tournament being held in the Guyana from November 1-6, 2011.

RDA extends our congratulations to Alisha, Kailey and Elysia as they take their careers to the International level and to Ashlee as she continues to excel at the International level.

All the RDA Staff and trainees are proud of your dedication and hard work to reach this level and you will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of your training partners in the Academy.

RDA is proud to be able to offer these opportunities to our trainees and Alumni as part of RDA’s ongoing commitment to excellence for all of our players.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

RDA Alumni Win Ontario Cup!

2011-07-25T15:05:00.001-04:00

RDA Alumni Jacqueline Lence, Veronica Pontes, Stephanie Guererri and Ashlee Savona won the Ontario Cup Championship for 2011 played at the OSA Centre on July 24 2011.

Jacqueline, Veronica and Stephanie and their team mates on the Erin Mills U18 team defeated Markham 6-0 in the U18 final while Ashlee representing Oakville U21, won the U21 final 1-0 also over Markham.

Congratulations to Jacqueline, Veronica, Stephanie and Ashlee on their tremendous achviement as Ontario Cup Champions for 2011!

European Clubs Are Looking For Female Players to Play Professional Soccer in Europe!

2011-07-14T18:18:00.001-04:00

European clubs are looking for Canadian senior female players (age 18 and over) to play at the highest level in Europe.

Clubs in Europe are looking for tactically gifted, technically proficient players who possess the game intelligence required to play professionally for clubs in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, England and France.

European leagues provide a professional environment that is unrivaled in Canada.

For players who want to take their careers beyond the amateur leagues, (OYSL, OWSL and the W league), there is no alternative in Canada.

The opportunities are simply not there for females.

There are professional and semi-pro leagues for men where the quality of play is of a good standard, however in the amateur female leagues the quality can range from top level to recreational in every league available.

Top level players have no choice but to play in this mixed environment.

You have all trained for many years as serious athletes only to be told that you are out of luck once you pass from the junior ranks to a senior player.

Once University soccer is over so, in all reality, is your career as a serious player.

Well it doesn't have to be. You do have a choice.

However that choice has to come from you. No one else will be pushing you. The days of parents calling the coach on your behalf to get you a tryout are over.

For those players 18 years and over, you are now adults and this is an adult decision.

Imagine living, training and playing in Europe and getting paid for the experience!

If you are truly serious about living your dream then contact RDA to arrange a technical and tactical assessment today!

It's YOUR dream. How badly do you want it?

To register for the next phase of your football career, please complete the on-line registration at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

Does Anyone Take The OSA Seriously Anymore?

2011-07-11T14:57:00.007-04:00

The state of the Canadian National programs and the National Teams is in ruins, the development concept (Provincial Program and NTC) that Canada and Ontario have been following for decades has been exposed as a sham, the club controlled leagues are identified as a major impediment to the proper growth of the players, yet the OSA is not interested in any of that.

The OSA is only interested in recycling their old boys!

The recent flame out of Canada’s Women’s National Team at the World Cup 2011 Tournament (Canada finished last with 1 goal scored and 3 shots on goal for the entire tournament), has continued an alarming trend that has seen very poor performances by our National Teams at the:

- 2011 Men’s Gold Cup
- U17 Women’s World Cup 2010
- U17 Men’s World Cup 2011
- U20 Women’s CONCACAF WC qualification 2009

To be fair Canada did manage to win the CONCACAF titles at the U17 (2010) and Senior levels (2011) respectively, but crashed spectacularly when the weight of expectations at the World Cup were squarely on their shoulders.

The overall consensus is that Canada lacks the ability and the knowledge to produce top level players capable of competing mentally, physically and technically at the highest level.

The glaring lack of individual skill and technical and tactical nuances demonstrated by Canadian players has shone a spotlight in the massive deficiencies and incompetence prevalent in Canada’s Player Development Program at all levels.

Nowhere is this best illustrated than on the women’s side of the game where Canada, as an early adapter to the female game, enjoyed a considerable advantage in time and resources over traditional soccer powers that have only now started to take the game seriously on the distaff side.

However, that advantage was lost in the shadowy world of glaring incompetence, regional politics, old-boy back-scratching and mismanagement of time and resources available by the soccer authorities in Canada and especially Ontario.

This has only served to stagnate and to distort the proper environment required for Canada to compete at the highest levels of the game.

Canada is now unquestionably a third world soccer nation on both sides of the gender divide.

Over the years, the soccer authorities in Canada have produced numerous documents designed to stem the flow of ineptitude, turn the development process in to a cohesive and productive operation and create an environment for coaches and players to thrive and flourish for the long term benefit of the Canadian soccer programs.

The latest of these documents is named the Long Term Player Development (LTPD) program, the new attempt to define a “rational pathway for player development in this country”.

If this document looks familiar, it is because this document is another re-hash of many of the documents that preceded it; all designed to correct Canada’s glaring lack of ability on the soccer pitch.

These documents all basically say the same thing; the only major difference is that the dates of implementation and completion are constantly changed to protect the incompetent.

However, the real document the CSA and its Provincial minions need to embrace is a Canadian version of the Crawford Report; (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Report_of_the_Independent_Soccer_Review_Committee), the revolutionary document that turned soccer in Australia from a political and regional mess (sound familiar?) in to a growing force who are consistently qualifying for major tournaments on both the male and female side of the game.

Not surprisingly, there does not seem to be any of the old boys on Metcalfe Street or Vaughan too interested in implementing any version of this report!

The soccer authorities would rather re-cycle old ideas under different titles rather than provide a true new direction. The document in whatever title you may have read it is not the problem, the correct implementation of the report is where it all falls apart every time.

Ontario as Canada’s largest populated Province leads the way with participation numbers in excess of 500,000 registered players. Not surprisingly, the OSA has also led the way in overall ineptitude.

The sad state of soccer in the Province of Ontario is a direct result of mismanagement, old boy politics, cronyism and incompetence by OSA; the very organization that now believes it deserves the right to remedy the current state of the game, despite having created many of the systemic problems that now need to be unraveled by decades of inaction and abuse.

How do they intend to accomplish this? Instead of fresh new faces and ideas, the OSA believes that the very same cronies that helped create the crisis are the only ones that should be tasked with fixing it.

Hence the OSA is only truly interested in recycling; recycling the very same incompetent old boys into positions as part of the strategic teams overseeing and implementing the LTPD.

Only at organizations such as the OSA can massive incompetence and blatant ignorance of what is needed to fix the game be rewarded with a series of promotions!

One only has to look at the recent appointments to the LTPD committee as well as the new Director of Coach Development to gain an insight to how out of touch the OSA actually is.

The OSA appointees to the LTPD committee are designed to maintain the status quo while giving lip service to the change required in regenerating soccer in one of Canada’s most important markets.

They are not the catalyst for change but rather more recycled old boys desperately clinging on for fear of losing their positions on the gravy train.

More disturbing is the recycling of another old boy to the very important position of Director of Coach Development. This same individual is responsible for the removal of virtually all skilled players he over saw as Provincial Coach in favour of the big, athletic, long ball specialists that have been exposed and embarrassed on the biggest global stage; the World Cup.

This individual, who in his tenure as a Provincial Coach, was not capable of training any player with skill or coaching any style apart from “kick and pray” direct soccer, is now responsible for the training and mentoring of the coaches tasked with the identification, training and development of the next generation of players for Canada’s National Programs; players who will be expected to be technically gifted, tactically astute and athletically superior.

With this level of incompetence it is no wonder why Canada is no longer competitive at any level on the International stage!

Yet it seems that no broom really sweeps clean at the OSA. Old, out of touch, one dimensional flunkies who are responsible for the current woeful state of affairs in Ontario soccer, are brushed off, cleaned up and trotted out as being the new answer to the same old problems.

The OSA once again has proven by its actions that they are only interested in recycling their old boy network, not in taking the bold steps necessary to revolutionize soccer in Ontario.

Is there any credibility left up in Vaughan?

RDA Alumnus Selected For Caribbean Olympic Qualifying Tournament!

2011-07-09T01:35:00.004-04:00

RDA is proud to announce that RDA Alumnus Kira Bertrand has been selected to represent Dominica in the Caribbean Football Union's Olympic Qualifying Tournament being held in the Dominican Republic from July 5-9 2011.

The 2 group winners plus the best second placed team will qualify for the CONCACAF final being held in Canada in January 2012.

RDA extends our congratulations to Kira as she continues to excel at the International level.

All the RDA Staff and trainees are proud of your dedication and hard work to reach this level and you will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of your training partners in the Academy.

RDA is proud to be able to offer these opportunities to our trainees and Alumni as part of RDA’s ongoing commitment to excellence for all of our players.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

RDA Alumni Invited to Attend Jamaica National Team Training Camp!

2011-07-02T13:35:00.001-04:00

RDA is proud to announce that RDA Alumni Nadia McKenzie and Cassandra Crooks have been selected to train at the Jamaican National Women’s Team’s (known as the Reggae Girlz) training camp being held in Kingston, Jamaica in July 2011.

Nadia and Cassandra will be in Jamaica for the training camp from July 7-14 2011.

The camp will serve as a pre-cursor to both players being invited to train with the Jamaican National Program on a regular basis as Jamaica prepares for the Caribbean and CONCACAF qualifiers for the Gold Cup, the U20 World Cup in 2014 and the Women's World Cup in 2015.

RDA extends our congratulations to Nadia and Cassandra as they take their careers to the International level.

All the RDA Staff and trainees are proud of your dedication and hard work to reach this level and you will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of your training partners in the Academy.

RDA is proud to be able to offer these opportunities to our trainees and Alumni as part of RDA’s ongoing commitment to excellence for all of our players.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

Professional Opportunities For Senior Females 18 and Older!

2011-05-13T14:05:00.001-04:00

Wanted immediately for the 2011-2012 season:

Strikers/ Wingers
Midfielders
Defenders
Goalkeepers

for paid professional opportunities in Europe from July/August 2011 to June 2012.

Interested players are asked to contact the RDA Staff to arrange for a technical and tactical assessment.

This opportunity is available for all players who seriously believe that they possess the skill and talent to play professionally in Europe.

If this describes you, contact RDA today!

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

Announcing RDA's European Training Program!

2011-04-23T19:31:00.001-04:00

RDA is pleased to announce the introduction of the European Training Program.

The exclusive spring and summer training program will be for players who have been identified as candidates to play in Europe and players who are serious about training for professional opportunities in Europe.

The program is open to male and female players who are interested in pursuing professional opportunities in Europe for the fall, winter and spring of 2011-2012.

The emphasis will be on improving the technical and tactical skill and physical strength and conditioning of the players to better prepare them for the European football season.

Players will be required to register for a full technical assessment prior to being invited to try out for the training program.

The Europe 2011 Training Program session is mandatory for all players who are looking to go to Europe to play professionally or as part of a training or exchange program.

The program will run from May to August 2011. Interested players are requested to sign up for the program at the RDA Registration site at:

http://www.active.com/soccer-clinic/mississauga-on/rda-registration-2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

Jeremy O'Byrne
1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

Announcing RDA's University and College 2011 Off Season Training Program!

2011-04-20T15:31:00.004-04:00

RDA is pleased to announce the introduction of the University and College 2011 Off Season Training Program designed for players who are serious about training in the off season for the fall football (soccer) season in Canadian and US Colleges and Universities.

The program is open to players who are currently enrolled and playing in College and University, players who have been selected to receive scholarships to Colleges and Universities in the fall of 2011, players who are looking at and/ or have signed letters of intent for the 2012 season and players who are looking to try out as walk-ons during the College and University fall tryouts.

The program will run from May to August 2011. Interested players are requested to sign up for the program at the RDA Registration site at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the the RDA Staff immediately.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com
tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com

Academy Alumnus Trials In Europe!

2011-04-12T14:21:00.000-04:00

Academy Alumnus Brittany Cranston has become the latest player from RDA/ Riverside Canada to go on a trial (tryout) in Europe.

Brittany recently spent 1 week living and training with CF Bardolino Verona at their training compound in Verona, Italy. The trial was arranged by Genova International School of Soccer. During her trial in Italy, Brittany gained valuable insights in to how the European game and training regimens differ from the levels of training currently being offered by the established clubs in Canada.

The major difference is that in Europe, training is the most important part of the development of top level players while in Canada, the emphasis is on playing as many games as possible. Another major difference is that players in Europe are expected to play the full 90 plus minutes every game and do not have the multiple substitutions allowed in Canada. In Europe, once a player is substituted, they are no longer a part of the game.

Overall the level of training and playing in Europe is vastly superior to the levels currently being offered by the existing club structure in Canada. However, as Brittany noted, the levels of training being offered by the RDA and Riverside Canada Academies were very close to the levels of training she experienced while in Europe.

RDA and Riverside Canada are extremely honored to be able to provide these opportunities to female players, who represent the largest under serviced segment of the Canadian soccer landscape, to pursue their football careers beyond University and College by being offered the opportunity to play professionally in Europe.

RDA and Riverside Canada extend our congratulations to Brittany on her trial in Italy and will continue to work with her as she takes her career to the next level playing in Europe.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for the RDA/ Riverside Canada’s Training Program at:

RDA Registration 2011

Riverside Canada Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the RDA Staff immediately.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

Academy Alumnus Signs Professional Contract in Europe!

2011-04-11T17:09:00.000-04:00

Academy Alumnus Yasuto Hoshiko has become the first player from the Europe 2011 Project to sign a professional contract in Europe.

Yasuto, a former player in Japan and in Canada, joined the Riverside/ RDA European project in January 2011.

Through the affiliation with Genova International School of Soccer, Yasuto was able to test and train at Genova’s home base in Zane Italy.

After a successful series of training sessions in Zane as well as a string of impressive performances in divisional play, Yasuto was recommended to his new club and was subsequently signed to a professional contract.

RDA and Riverside Canada are extremely honored to be able to provide these opportunities to players who are looking to pursue their football careers by being offered the opportunity to play professionally in Europe.

Riverside Canada and RDA extend our congratulations to Yasuto on being the first player selected to sign a professional contract in Europe as part of our ongoing relationship with Genova International School of Soccer and AS Roma.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for the Europe 2011 Project at:

RDA Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the undersigned immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

Jeremy O'Byrne
1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

RDA/ Riverside Canada Send Female Players to Switzerland.

2011-03-04T14:00:00.002-05:00

RDA and Riverside Canada (RCA) are proud to announce that RDA Alumni Alison Lemon and Jessica Fletcher have been chosen to trial at Swiss club F.C. Neunkirch.

Alison and Jessica have arrived in Switzerland to begin their exciting new adventure playing professional football in Europe.

Representatives of RDA and Riverside Canada announced that Alison and Jessica were chosen from among 11 candidates for the immediate opportunity as RDA and Riverside Canada continue to assist Canadian female players to follow their dream to play professionally in Europe.

The assessment program will be continuing in order to identify, select and train more candidates that possess the technical and tactical skills, game intelligence and physical attributes that are required by clubs in the professional environment in Europe.

RDA and Riverside Canada are extremely honored to be able to provide these opportunities to female players, who represent the largest underserviced segment of the Canadian soccer landscape, to pursue their football careers beyond University and College by being offered the opportunity to play professionally in Europe.

RDA and Riverside Canada extend our congratulations to Alison and Jessica as they take their careers to the next level playing in Europe.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for the RDA/ Riverside Canada’s Training Program at:

RDA Registration 2011

Riverside Canada Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the RDA Staff immediately.

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

Academy Alumni Win Ontario Cup

2011-02-13T23:29:00.005-05:00

Academy Alumni Veronica Pontes, Stephanie Guerreri and Jacqueline Lence, members of the Erin Mills Eagles 1993 team, won the U-18 Ontario Indoor Cup for 2011 defeating Pickering G94 2-1 in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 tie in the Championship game.

The tournament, played over the last 2 months, saw the Eagles team qualify from the preliminary round, defeat Pegasus from Kingston, Oshawa and Unionville to qualify for the semi-finals as group winners and beat Brams United 2-0 to advance to the final.

Congratulations to Veronica, Stephanie, Jacqueline and all of the players and coaches from Erin Mills on becoming Ontario Indoor Cup Champions for 2011.

RDA/ Riverside Canada Sends Female Player to Italy For Professional Trial!

2011-01-24T00:58:00.001-05:00

Riverside Canada (RCA), RDA, Genova International School of Soccer and AS Roma are proud to announce that RDA Alumnus Stephanie Caruso has been chosen to become the first Canadian player to trial at Italian club C.F. Bardolino Verona.

Stephanie has arrived in Italy to begin her exciting new adventure playing professional football in Europe.

Representatives of Riverside Canada Academy (RCA) and RDA announced that Stephanie was chosen from among 14 candidates for the immediate opportunity and will become the first of many female players to follow their dream to play professionally in Europe.

The assessment program will be continuing in order to identify, select and train more candidates that possess the technical and tactical skills, game intelligence and physical attributes that are required by clubs in the professional environment in Europe.

RDA and Riverside Canada are extremely honored to be able to provide these opportunities to female players, (who represent the largest underserviced segment of the Canadian soccer landscape), to pursue their football careers beyond University and College by being offered the opportunity to play professionally in Europe.

Riverside Canada and RDA extend our congratulations to Stephanie on being the first female player selected to trail in Italy as part of our ongoing relationship with Genova International School of Soccer and AS Roma.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for the RDA/ Riverside Canada’s Training Program at:

RDA Registration 2011

Riverside Canada Registration 2011

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the the RDA Staff immediately:

1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

European Scouts Review RDA Trainees!

2011-01-22T14:40:00.000-05:00

RDA welcomed special guests this week from Europe as RDA held scouting sessions for Academy trainees. The sessions are ongoing and represent RDA's commitment to providing the best opportunities for all of our enrolled students.

RDA trainees were put through their paces while being assessed for their technical and tactical skills, game knowledge and acumen and physical prowess. The Academy trainees responded well to the training session and impressed the attended scouts with their skills and abilities.

RDA thanks our European guests for attending these special sessions and our trainees for their excellent performance.

Players who are interested in attending an RDA tryout session are required to contact RDA at tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com.

Please visit the RDA website for further information.

George Mosley

2011-01-14T22:56:00.000-05:00

It is with great sadness that RDA has learned of the passing of George Mosley.

George was a longtime soccer coach and volunteer who was involved with many teams on both sides of the gender divide and was at one time the Senior Mentor coach in the Mississauga Soccer Club in Peel. George proudly was the on-field coach of the 1993 Mississauga Falcons girls team, a team that he took from the lowest level of the SRSL in 2006 all the way up to the OYSL in 2011.

It is very unfortunate that George will not be able to fulfill his dream and coach the team in 2011 as they play in the OYSL for the first time.

I personally have known George for many years and am very saddened by his passing. It was a pleasure having known you.

Rest in Peace.

RDA Summer 2010

2010-12-29T19:00:00.003-05:00

RDA Summer 2010

Players From the France Project Trial in Italy!

2010-11-23T15:05:00.003-05:00

With the performance of our players currently in France on a pilot project, the cooperation of Genova International Soccer Schools/ A. S Roma Canada and US Valbonne in France, the RCA/RDA players have successfully earned the opportunity to play in a highly anticipated exhibition game against Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur, more commonly known as Nice, currently playing in the top level of French football, League 1.

The game will take place on December 7th 2010 and will feature a team from Genova/ AS Roma playing against Nice. All members of the RCA/RDA Canadian contingent will be participating in this game. Anthony, Malik and Tryston will be joining their team mates, Brandon, Christian and Matthew to continue to showcase their talents to an audience of European scouts.

Some of the RCA/RDA players will be playing with the Italian squad, while the others will be playing on the Nice squad.

This is another tremendous opportunity for the players who are participating in this excellent project.

At this time, early reports from Italy, where Brandon, Christian and Matthew are in training this week at Genova, are extremely positive for the players. They are being very well received in camp and it is expected that their reception and performance will help to lift the expectations of our other candidates who will be participating in the exhibition game with Nice in early December.

Tryouts for Phase 2 (2011) of the French Project are ongoing.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for RDA or Riverside Canada at:

RDA Registration
Riverside Canada Registration

Please contact the Academy Staff for further details.

Required NOW- Female Players Over 18 years of age to Play Professional Soccer in Italy!

2010-11-12T14:44:00.005-05:00

A.S.D. CF Bardolino Verona, 4 times Champions of Italy and 3 times National Cup Champions, is looking for senior female players (age 18 and over) to play at the highest level in Italy.

A.S.D. CF Bardolino Verona was founded in 1995 and has emerged as a major force in Italian soccer and European club competitions. A.S.D. CF Bardolino Verona has competed in 5 of the last 6 years in the UEFA Women's Champions League. A.S.D. CF Bardolino Verona plays in Serie A.

Serie A is the Premier League Competition for Italian female clubs. The league was founded in 1986 and consists of 12 teams. One of the all time leading goal scorers in Serie A history is Carolina Morace, the current Head Coach of the Canadian Women's National team, with over 550 career goals.

This is a PAID professional opportunity for the right candidates.

Players who are interested are required to contact RDA at tryouts@reddevilsacademy.com.

Please visit the RDA website for further information.

RDA and Riverside Canada Announce Showcase 2011.

2010-11-06T16:29:00.000-04:00

RDA and Riverside Canada will be hosting Showcase 2011 in the Spring of 2011.

As a follow-up to our inaugural and extremely successful Showcase 2010 event held in Mississauga in May 2010, Showcase 2011 promises to be an even bigger event.

Showcase 2011 will be held as a scouting combine for representatives from Universities, Colleges, European Professional Clubs and Academies. National Associations will also be invited to attend.

Please check the following link for updated information on the officials attending:

http://go.ebizwebpages.com/riversidecanada/services

Registration for the event is now being accepted and is open to players aged from 11 years of age and older.

The age groups being scouted will be U12 (11,12), U14 (13,14), U16 (15,16), U18 (U17,U18) and Seniors (over 18).

Early Registration will be available until November 30 2010 at a discounted price.

Regular Registrations will be available until December 31 2010 and Late Registrations will be accepted until January 31 2011.

To register for Showcase 2011, please visit the following link:

http://www.active.com/soccer-clinic/mississauga-on/showcase-2010-pb836

Please contact the Academy Staff for further details.

Genova International School of Soccer and AS Roma Canada Announce Working Relationship and Affiliation with Riverside and RDA.

2010-10-25T11:38:00.004-04:00

Genova International School of Soccer and AS Roma Canada are proud to announce the new working relationship and affiliation with Riverside Canada Soccer Academy and RDA.

We are very excited about the opportunity to share resources and work together on player development at a youth level. Riverside Canada and RDA have a long history working with players of both genders and we are all looking forward to embarking on this mutually beneficial program.

It is our goal to achieve the highest standards in developing the next generation of stars.

Genova International School of Soccer has an excellent record of uncovering Canadian talent and is proud to have identified, scouted and signed Canadian players to contracts by professional clubs in Europe.

The following Canadian players have progressed through Genova International’s showcase identification camps and the Zane project in Italy:

Frank Damiano- Trento Calcio -Contract
Marcel DeBelis - Trento Calcio - Contract
Jonathan Agostino - Vicenza Calcio - contract
Paolo Ragato - Vicenza Calcio - Contract
Paco Torres - Zane - Trailing
Mathew Macri - Vicenza Calcio – Contract
Joseph Kuta - AS Roma - Trialed at Trigoria Compound
Johnny D Amato - Vado FC - Contract

Genova International is looking forward to our new working relationship with Riverside Canada Academy and RDA as we continue to identify and provide the opportunity for Canadian players to pursue their soccer dreams playing in Europe.

Genova International, in conjunction with AS Roma Canada, conducts regular clinics for players between the ages of 6 and 18 and also provides opportunities for players over 18 to travel to Europe to showcase their skills in pre-season Serie A and B games in Italy. You can also keep in touch with events through the AS Roma Canada website.

Riverside Canada Football Academy has had international travel experiences with players both girls and boys ages 14 to 17. Riverside represented the very first Canadian Women’s Football team to travel to Denmark and Sweden to participate in both the Gothia and Dana Cups.

Since that time many other players have taken up that challenge successfully as part of Riverside commitment to the development of youth soccer in Ontario.

At this present time, the combined efforts of Riverside Canada Football and RDA has placed several players in France on a one year soccer learning and development program that will lay the foundation of change for many Canadian players wishing to invest seriously in their passion.

For more information on Riverside Canada Academy’s involvement in soccer, visit http://go.ebizwebpages.com/riversidecanada/home.

The Red Devils Academy (RDA) is an elite player development company founded and based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Founded in July 2002, RDA was established as an organization that supports growth and development of academic and athletic excellence providing skills training and development for novice, intermediate and advanced co-ed youth players with a very strong background in the female side of soccer in Ontario.

For more information on RDA’s involvement in soccer, visit www.reddevilsacademy.com.

Thank you for your interest.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Huie
Riverside Canada Academy
soccer@bosskids.com

Jeremy O'Byrne
RDA
1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
theacademy@bellnet.ca

Players Set For Test (Trial) In France!

2010-10-16T15:44:00.002-04:00

Earlier today (October 15) players from the RCA/RDA French project were officially invited to travel to the north of France for a Test with a French League 1 team.

A Test in Europe is equivalent to a Tryout in North America. The test will be at French League 1 team Stade Brest, currently in the top 5 in France's highest division.

This program is open to both male and female players serious about taking their careers to the highest level and is ongoing.

Becoming a part of RCA/ RDA training is mandatory in order to be considered for all future opportunities.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for RDA or Riverside Canada at:

RDA Registration

Riverside Canada Registration

Please contact the Academy Staff for further details.

Riverside Canada and RDA Send Players to France for A Full Year!

2010-10-08T23:51:00.001-04:00

Riverside Canada (RCA) and RDA are very pleased to announce that 6 Academy players have been placed in France, training and playing with US Valbonne from September 2010 until May 2011.

The players arrived in France on September 21 2010 and began their training on September 24 under the watchful eyes of the club's Technical Staff.

US Valbonne is a feeder club that supplies players to top clubs in France as well as clubs from across Europe. This opportunity is the first phase of our program and represents a long term investment from RCA and RDA to be able to provide these opportunities to Canadian players.

Players will also be attending school in order to maintain their academic standing during their stay. The players have begun attending classes in France and will be instructed in English and French.

While in France players will be scouted on an ongoing basis by professional clubs and scouts from France and across Europe.

The exposure that this opportunity will provide for selected players is second to none.

This program is open to both male and female players serious about taking their careers to the highest level.

Please also be aware that as this is an ongoing and growing opportunity, becoming a part of RCA/ RDA training is mandatory in order to be considered for all future opportunities.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for RDA or Riverside Canada at:

http://www.active.com/soccer-clinic/mississauga-on/rda-registration-2010

http://www.active.com/soccer-clinic/mississauga-on/riverside-canada-registration-2010

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact the RDA or Riverside Canada Staff immediately.

Thank you for your interest.

Jeremy O'Byrne
1-888-838-5274- Toll Free
416-948-7574- Cell
www.reddevilsacademy.com

Anthony Huie
416-670-0350- Cell
http://go.ebizwebpages.com/riversidecanada/home

6 Months after CONCACAF, Canada’s Dismal Performance at the 2010 U17 World Cup Renews Call for Rosenfeld to Go

2010-09-14T12:06:00.018-04:00

6 months ago I penned a blog discussing Canada’s poor overall performance at the CONCACAF U17 Championship that gained a very mixed reaction, the loudest coming from the existing establishment as Canada somehow miraculously won the tournament eliminating the US for the first time in a CONCACAF qualification tournament.

All was right with the soccer landscape and after all who was I to dismiss this glowing accomplishment especially when the old enemy, the US, had been put in its place by the upstart Canadian girls, who showed them what true grit really was. It was a time to rejoice over the biggest accomplishment in Canadian soccer since the 1986 World Cup.

How dare I rain on this parade of adulation and shameless back slapping!

Now fast forward to the present and the U17 World Cup Championships in Trinidad and Tobago.

Canada despite being badly outplayed and embarrassed by a young and relatively inexperienced developing team from Ghana managed to win the game scoring on their only legitimate shot of the entire game. Embarrassing because Ghana is only a few short years into their women’s program and is already producing the quality players and tactical acumen that Canada has not managed to produce in 29 years of female soccer participation at the highest level.

How is this at all possible?

In their second game Canada was outhustled and beaten by a spirited team from the Republic of Ireland who, despite not performing at their best, deservedly won a game where Canada never seriously troubled the Irish goalie and lacked the technical skill to string more than 2 passes together especially when faced with the few scoring opportunities that were offered in the game. Ireland always looked the more dangerous team while Canada plodded along looking for a scoreless tie that did not materialize.

What makes this game more alarming is that Ireland, like Ghana, is another latecomer to the women’s game but has already become a more legitimate contender than Canada despite not having the advantage of many more years participating at the highest level.

How did we allow this to happen?

Canada was faced with a daunting task in their final group game; defeat Brazil to move on to the quarter-finals or lose and go home after an embarrassing first round exit. This was the USA game all over again, a time for Canada to show true grit and vanquish a vastly superior foe by using those Canadian staples, heart and courage.

Sadly, lacking proper coaching tactics and preparation and with a poorly selected roster that placed athletics over technical and tactical skill, Canada was completely overwhelmed in a one-sided 2-0 Brazil victory that saw the team in red manage their only shot on the net in the game after 88 minutes of play.

How could we all not see this coming?

I called for the CSA to remove Brian Rosenfeld from his position as U17 Head Coach and as head of the Ontario National Training Centre (NTC) and for the OSA to remove him from his position as Manager of Player Development after the CONCACAF tournament.

My reasoning was not based on the “win at all costs” philosophy that is prevalent in the existing soccer establishment, it was based on the fact that our U17 players and younger players in the Provincial Program, supposedly the future of the Women’s National Program, were tactically inept, technically deficient and lacked the overall soccer related qualities necessary to represent Canada at the Senior National level.

In other words, Canada’s National Training feeder programs are more focused on recognizing and developing athletes who can run all day but lack even the basic technical skill and tactical acumen required to compete at the highest level.

The NTC, Provincial Program and High Performance Player Program have been unmasked as a sham on one of the biggest stages of all, the World Cup tournament.

At U17, when the game is supposed to be about development not focused on winning a Regional junior tournament, we are all expected to gloss over the alarming lack of development prevalent in the High Performance Player Program because Canada came home with a trophy.

At U17, the CSA and OSA were trumpeting this as a watershed in Canadian soccer, a defining moment for Canada; at U17.

Reality however, is a different dynamic.

The first two games at the U17 World Cup have proved that I was correct in my analysis from 6 months ago that Canada, the coaches and the players who were chosen to represent the country, are nowhere near the quality required technically or tactically to allow Canada to compete and succeed at the junior level let alone the Senior National level.

The third game at the U17 World Cup underscored how truly woeful and politically motivated the High Performance Player Program and the Regional selection process actually is.

Despite the realities of an upset win at CONCACAF (against all realistic expectations), very little was done to upgrade and improve the team to better equip the players to handle the stronger competition at the World Cup.

In 6 months the team has not improved from their fortuitous performance at CONCACAF.

Clearly the soccer establishment in this country values winning at U17 far more importantly than developing the next generation of Canadian players properly. Yet many of the best players in this country were not given any chance to play for Canada as Rosenfeld continued to place athletes ahead of technical skill and the results were predictable.

Despite the CSA bloggers and website reporters trying to spin the game performances to deflect from Canada’s poor showing, we have been badly exposed once again, this time by Ghana and Ireland, two countries with fairly new female programs and who have only recently accelerated their female programs to the point where Canada is now struggling to keep up with their development and totally unmasked by Brazil, a country that understands the quality (coaching and playing) that is necessary to succeed at the highest level.

I was derided for having the temerity to question a Canadian team that had just won the CONCACAF tournament 6 months ago.

How could I be so anti-Canadian?

Will the establishment listen now that Canada will not be returning home from Trinidad in a blaze of unexpected glory?

After all more was expected from this Canadian team than any other before as they were representing CONCACAF as the Continental Champions at the World Cup. This was no longer a team that was able to slide by in a weak group as they did in New Zealand in 2008, this was the team that had eliminated the USA and was expected, as Continental Champions, to move forward through a tough group in to the Quarter-finals.

Rosenfeld should have been dismissed 6 months ago after CONCACAF. Now with the reality of Canada’s under-performance at the World Cup fresh in our minds, he needs to be dismissed immediately.

As the coach he accepted the accolades after winning CONCACAF and now he needs to accept the blame for Canada’s shambolic performance.

Rosenfeld once said at a training session: "You pass the ball too much, you move your feet to much, this is not Brazilian soccer or your back yard with your friends showing off".

It’s ironic that an embarrassing loss to Brazil of all teams would bring the curtain down on the Rosenfeld era.

I guess there will be no parade down Metcalfe Street this time.

Club Academies- The Latest Trend in Club Soccer

2010-09-11T19:55:00.032-04:00

Like the weeds that grow in your garden, “Club Academies” are springing up everywhere, desperately trying to hold on to their current player base while facing the annual prospect of continuously diminishing registration numbers and most importantly, declining registration fees.

You see them everywhere, from clubs with a large player base to clubs that are so small that it is easy to forget they are still in business.

The very latest trend in the club structure seems to be that, in order to convince an increasingly more educated public that the Club is investing the members’ money into programs to benefit the development of the players instead of benefiting the grand visions of the club executive; you need to start a “Club Academy”.

In reality with very few exceptions, Club Academies are nothing more than an illusion designed to separate the paying members in the club from more of their hard earned money.

No matter how it is being branded by the clubs, Club Academies are nothing more than the latest in a long line of cash grabs by the clubs’ executive.

Simply rebranding the same tired, mediocre, low-quality club drills as “Club Academy” training is akin to rebranding a garbage collector as a “Sanitation Engineer” (with all due respect to the hard working people in the waste disposal profession).

There is a definitive reason that the registration numbers and the flow of cash is starting to dry up in club soccer and that is because the paying public are increasingly fed up with the lack of quality and development that they are overpaying for at club level and are starting to look elsewhere.

However, that does not mean that many of these paying parents will move to another club or to an Academy. Many are more likely to move away from the sport completely and invest their hard earned dollars in another activity especially at the younger ages.

The clubs, facing growing competition from real Academies, the District, Regional and Provincial programs, the new CSL Leagues that are starting in the fall, other increasingly popular sporting activities and a more discerning public, have had no choice but to rebrand their own in-house training as Club Academies to try and stem the rising flow of revenue evaporating from the club’s coffers.

Knowledge can be communicated but not wisdom. Trying to con the paying public into believing that Club Academies will produce the quality that has been lacking in the club structure for years by simply changing the name of the in-house training program is an insult to the intelligence of all paying members and is destined to ultimately fail.

The main problem with running an in-house Club Academy is that the club executive, yes the same executive that has failed to provide proper in-house development previously, dictates how the program will be run. The Academy trainers are in most cases the same coaches who have been unsuccessful with the House League and Rep training that has been offered in the club for years or recycled Technical coaches who have failed at their previous club assignments.

These are not the professional, technically and tactically trained coaches being advertised on the club websites, but the same retreads, many of whom are also Rep team coaches and have been around the clubs for many years in different capacities.

However, there are some clubs that have gone outside the club and hired professional trainers to oversee and run the programs within the club structure. On the surface these programs appear to be worth the money that is being demanded, however scratch below the surface and you will find the true story.

Many of these trainers are using the players in the club as a recruiting ground to establish their own independent Academies while the club executive are using the higher fees to forward their own agenda.

The only losers in this formula are the paying members of the club.

In the Mississauga area alone there are several in-house Club Academy programs that are highly touted on their respective club websites. In one particular case, one area club builds the cost of their program into the registration fee so that paid training, while being optional for the player to attend is NOT optional for the player to pay for. This club will not offer refunds, forcing players to attend their in-house Academy.

However, when it comes time to promote from within their own in-house Academy program, this club has no problem bypassing the players who are in the training program in order to go out and recruit players from other clubs and Academies to ensure their teams stay competitive for the next playing season.

In other words, this club consistently demonstrates that they have no confidence in their ability to develop and train top level players in their so called Club Academy by allowing their teams to recruit better developed players from outside the club, yet they will not give any refunds for the cost of their training program.

This club’s Academy program is an absolute sham.

Another Mississauga area club built its own indoor facility doubling as their clubhouse. They then went out and formed their own in-house Club Academy and hired several high priced Technical coaches to oversee the development of the Academy program. Over the course of the winter they trained players and teams in their “High Performance” Academy training program with a lot of fanfare.

However, if you actually go out and watch the players and teams who trained all winter play, there is no evidence that any such training ever took place as they struggle to string 2 passes together, cannot head or chest the ball properly and have very poor touch receiving the ball. The only skill they are very capable of performing is kicking the ball down the field to no one in particular.

This club’s Academy program is also an absolute sham.

If there are so many good coaches in Club Academies, then why are the players and teams who train with them so poor at soccer? What exactly are the players and parents actually paying for?

Therein lies the major difference between an actual Academy and Club Academies; there is no promotion and relegation within the Academy system so there is no need to pressure the players to “win at all costs” so that the team can maintain their place in one unimportant league or the other.

Real Academies are about development and are focused on the players realizing their maximum potential, not fulfilling the desire of clubs and coaches to win trophies and maintain league placements year after year. It is also definitely not about using registration money to finance new clubhouses, European vacations for club executives disguised as player development tours, BlackBerrys for club directors and staff and expensive and unnecessary uniform contracts with European vendors.

And of course this is all done with the clubs fiercely holding onto their “not for profit” status.

It is time to stop fooling the paying public; perks to club executives and Academy trainers are what the players and parents are really paying for.

Clubs are on the downside as they see more and more paying members leaving every year. Trying to squeeze extra money out of a diminishing membership base is their last desperate option.

Perhaps the clubs should concentrate on the reason that they were established in the first place and take care of the needs of the community ahead of the financial needs of a few delusional part time volunteers masquerading as club executives.

It’s time for a reality check.

Is The OSA The New IBM Of Soccer?

2010-08-27T17:16:00.001-04:00

Reproduction of a blog from Riverside Canada.

This upcoming soccer season in the province of Ontario promises to be a most interesting one indeed. Along the southern corridor, Ottawa to London, (Winsor may be not so much), the impact of change could prove to be the most significant. For several years now, some member clubs in the Essex County region has defied the traditional views of what it takes to be a member of the Ontario Soccer Association, (OSA).

In fact, despite the best efforts of the OSA, the tail has been wagging the dog, financially speaking for a number of years.

The OSA’s inability to effectively manage this renegade behavior of its membership has only served to embolden the resolve of other clubs now refusing to fully register their members with the OSA. In the local Toronto area, we see one of the Toronto Soccer Association’s (TSA) largest members, now having pulled away from the TSA for the past couple of years. Their defiance have now seeding the ground for this same discussion amongst yet another very large and most influential one of its members.

At first glance it would appear to the uninformed that these are just renegade members lacking the discipline and knowledge of respectful membership duties, obligations and or responsibilities. In fact this behavior was not only foreseen by the OSA many years ago, they were advised, NOT to ignore it. Instead of approaching this issue with kit gloves, they chose instead to use the iron fist mentality of ignorance and have done nothing constructive to solve this problem.

The problem of diminishing membership was brought to the attention of the OSA some five years earlier, when it was noted that despite the very noticeable influx growth of soccer in the province, the OSA was in fact losing almost thirty percent of its membership at the other end by way of drop outs and none renewal of members. It was further noted, that an organization that loses upwards of thirty percent of their business each year ,,; well let just say, “I see all the possible outcome and none ends well for the OSA”

Added to these two well documented immense problems of club adhering to the rules of the OSA and the organizationally module of a thirty percent loss of business each year, the OSA must now take into account one more chicken that has come home to roost; And this is a life long failure to properly manage the district’s regulatory proficiency of maintaining financial stability at the club level.

For far too long as the OSA hid itself behind the curtains of, “that is the District’s responsibility” while members cry in vain at the club level for financial accountability from their respective club board of directors. At this time we have a litany of pending financial disasters, particularly in the central south west end of this corridor, most seriously awaiting at least two of these clubs. Yes these views could be dismissed as nothing more than rumours and innuendos of disgruntle club members but what else is there!

Members are NOT getting the financial reports in a timely manner and the OSA is NOT willing to do anything when requested to do so by worried members. When I say the OSA is not willing to do anything, they will in fact do something, however they will need you, yes you the naïve volunteer who is willing to completely destroy your personal relationship within the community, not to mention, your child will NEVER be allowed to play in peace in that club ever again, yes with your willingness to put your entire family aside, the OSA will help you!

Too many clubs has wasted their financial allowances in the pursuit of foolish marketing schemes like adding Academies to their programs, international trips to buy uniforms, building their own ill-timed edifices to soccer, disguised as club houses, nepotism in their hiring practices and a general lack of respectful accountability to their membership. Adding to the abject lack of financial creativity, they have now forced their membership to pay for development services, as a part of being a member. This amounts to no more than, double dipping maybe even triple dipping into the pockets of their membership in order to justify their board of director’s financial ineptness.

This financial crunch brought onto the financial backs of the membership is by the OSA’s winter leagues, for cash, the various club winter leagues, for cash, the facility management’s winter leagues, for cash. All resulting in our young soccer players as early as U8s having to play soccer year round and parents being asked to pay, not just outrageous summer fees but now an equally amount of outrageous winter league fees as well.

Is it any wonder our OSA statistics now reflect that the OSA is experiencing upwards of a seventy (70%) per cent of fall out rate of players at the U17 age. Yes it could be argued that we do not have the “INTEREST” for the higher age division. I would argue that in fact we are the authors of our own downfall.
This OSA’s dry rot at the very base of the organization is now slowly creeping to the very top of the structure.

The OSA still fails to understand that its very foundation is built like a pyramid and not like a box. Therefore despite the instability of some of its clubs, the bottom can and will survive without the top. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the reverse.

Now enter the newest fly in an already preverbal precious little ointment. Starting this fall the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) will be fielding competitive teams from U9 to U19. Personally I have no problem with this. The CSL is built on a business model and as such it is their right to build their business. If they believe they can compete with and organization that is over a hundred years of age, the OSA, then go for it.

Another way of putting this, is, if you have been in a business over (100) one hundred years and have to worry about some upstart organization then it may be time for you to build yourself a “new computer” and do not become the IBM of soccer!

Of importance is this, would this decision not offer us a wonderful opportunity to work with the CSL however, tell them you can only start a league with both sexes. So if you start a U9 boys division then you must also start a U9 girls division. Not only will this promote the obvious, it will allow time for all parties to make proper adjustments to start to do what they each do best.

As a member of the Academy way of thinking, this newest level of competition could not come soon enough. However my support is based on the principal that he comes with a fresh approach to gender equality to the game.

Academy Alumni Win League Cup

2010-08-23T17:07:00.003-04:00

Academy Alumni Kaitlynn Russell, Kalli MacIntosh-Houlder and Academy Alumni coaches Fatima Russell and Noel Fenech, members of the Dixie Athletics 2002 team, won the U-8 SRSL League Cup for 2010 after defeating Mississauga 2-1 in the Championship game.

The tournament, played over the last 2 days, saw the Athletics defeat North Mississauga in the semi-finals 9-0 to advance to the Championship game against the Falcons.

Congratulations to Kailynn, Kalli, Fatima, Noel and all of the players and coaches from Dixie on becoming League Cup Champions for 2010.

RDA Alumni Win Ontario Cup

2010-08-01T23:04:00.000-04:00

Academy Alumni Veronica Pontes, Stephanie Gurrieri and Jacqueline Lence, members of the Erin Mills Eagles 1993 team, won the U-18 Ontario Cup for 2010 defeating Dixie 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in the Championship game.

The U17 Eagles were playing in an older age group for this tournament.

The tournament, played over the last 3 weeks, saw the Eagles defeat Kitchener, Oshawa and Niagara United to advance to the final.

As U18 Ontario Cup Champions, the Eagles qualify for the National Club Championship to be held in Newfoundland in October 2010.

Congratulations to Veronica, Stephanie, Jacqueline and all of the players and coaches from Erin Mills on becoming Ontario Cup Champions for 2010.

E-APS Program 2010

2010-07-31T18:35:00.002-04:00

Riverside Canada (RCA) and RDA presented the E-APS Program as a precursor to Showcase 2011 on July 16, 17 and 18, 2010.

The E-APS Program is now the standard University and College accepted training program for all RDA/ RCA trainees who will be involved in long-term showcasing with our Academy program.

Showcase 2011 will be the second Academy specific event for Academies in the GTA to Showcase Academy players.

Showcase 2011 will be held in early 2011.

Support RDA Alumni at Guyana Lady Jags Gold Cup Fundraiser!

2010-07-22T14:24:00.000-04:00

RDA Alumni are involved in preparations with the Guyana Lady Jags Senior National Team for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup as they vie for a place in the World Cup in 2011.

RDA Alumni Ally Leila, Ashlee Savona and Elysia Prasad will be playing in an exhibition game being held on August 1 2010 as part of a fundraising event for the Lady Jags team.

The Lady Jags are holding 2 events to help raise funds for their trip to the Gold Cup. The events include a fundraising party as well as an exhibition game against the Pickering U21 Provincial team:

Island Mix Restaurant and Lounge have thrown their full support into the Lady Jags Program, and are working very hard in planning the following fundraising events. They will be hosting the Lady Jags at:

THE SOCIAL:

Friday July 30th Time 6:30 pm - ? Island Mix Restaurant and Lounge
Pickering Location, 1050 Brock Road (905) 831-1649

Island Mix will be donating some of the proceeds from this social to the Lady Jags Program.

THE MAIN EVENT:

We have also reserved Esther Shiner Stadium, North York for a fundraiser game on:
Sunday August 1st
Kickoff - 2:30pm
Lady Jags vs. Pickering U21 Provincial Team
Cost: $20.00 per person

Tickets will be available for sale from Wednesday July 14th.

The stadium seats 3,000 people and it is our goal to fill every seat for the game. Island Mix Restaurant and Lounge will be promoting the game and social by printing posters and advertising it at their two locations (Pickering & Vaughan), as well as other West Indian outlets. Tickets can be picked up from any of their two locations or ordered online at:

http://www.guysportsdevelopment.com/ladyjags.html

Or visit:

Island Mix Restaurant and Lounge
Pickering Location, 1050 Brock Road (905)831-1649
Vaughan Location, 3175 Rutherford Road, (905)761-6649

Both of these events represent a wonderful opportunity for all RDA Staff, Players and Alumni to come out and support Ally, Ashlee and Elysia in their quest to make it to the World Cup in 2011.

Come out and show your support!

UPDATE- Special Announcement- Spend A Year in France Playing and Training With A French Club!

2010-07-08T16:40:00.060-04:00

RCA and RDA are very pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for serious players who are looking to take their careers to the highest level playing in Europe.

This opportunity is the first phase of our program and represents a long term investment from RCA and RDA to be able to provide these opportunities to Canadian players.

Players who are selected will be invited to live, train and play in a league in France with a French club for the next year. Players will also be attending school in order to maintain their academics standing during their stay.

While in France players will be scouted on an ongoing basis by professional clubs and scouts from France and across Europe.

The exposure that this opportunity will provide for selected players is second to none.

RDA and RCA are offering the right players the chance to showcase their talents in Europe in front of professional clubs and scouts for a full year.

Compare this opportunity to your present opportunities!

For most players an offer of a ten day or three week trip is the extent to which they are presently being exposed. Most of these opportunities, while offering the players a window from which to view the greater world of international soccer, are extremely limited for that player’s development.

While a highlight of most trips of this nature is to possibly attend an or train on a foreign training ground where players may get a chance to briefly train in front of a few coaches during their limited stay, it would be unrealistic to expect much more than a personal soccer vocational experience for the player and parents.

Now consider that opportunity to being able to live, train and play within an international club environment for a full year and there is no need to ask yourself what is the better opportunity!

Sadly as a serious player and if we are to be perfectly honest, your present soccer environment offers very few or mostly limited programs to which you can fully expand your international soccer opportunities.

If it is your desire to raise your level of play to the highest level, then as a serious player, you need to seize this opportunity.

This offer is open to both male and female players within the age requirement for France in 2010.

RCA/ RDA have completed the first series of selections which began with our selection process during our very successful Showcase 2010 event held in May 2010.

Our next series of selections will be held on August 6, 7 and 8, 2010.

If it is your desire to be taken seriously about taking your game to the highest level, you need to attend this event.

Please also be aware that as this is an ongoing and growing opportunity, becoming a part of RCA/ RDA training is recommended in order to be considered for all future opportunities.

To register for the next phase of your soccer career, please complete the on-line registration for the tryouts:

http://www.active.com/soccer-clinic/mississauga-on/showcase-france-team-tryouts-registration-2010

If you are unable to register through the on-line site or require additional information, please contact RDA immediately.

The OSA’s Approval Of Academies Is A Critical Missed Opportunity

2010-06-28T13:20:00.030-04:00

The OSA passed RFD 2010-007 at their recent Board meeting on May 1st 2010.

Anyone who was naïve enough to believe that the OSA was going to actually be progressive, intelligent and astute by welcoming the Academies into the fold should probably look into buying land in the Everglades or investing in ENRON stock.

To the surprise of very few in the Academy business, the OSA passed an RFD designed to continue to keep Academies at arm’s length away from the mainstream clubs, while finding a way to collect some of the revenue that they have missed out on since the Academy system came on to the Ontario soccer scene well over a decade ago.

The OSA and the clubs are apprehensive about an uncertain future. The continuous loss of revenue to the Academy system and the loss of credibility caused by the abject failure of the High Performance Player and the In-Club Training programs have shaken the establishment down to its foundations.

What are the established clubs and the OSA really afraid of?

The growing power and influence of the Academy system runs in direct competition to the OSA and the established clubs.

Academy standards, development programs and training regimens are of a greatly advanced standard than programs being offered through the traditional House League and Representative (Rep) team structure.

In most cases “Academy Style” programs are little more than a flagrant cash grab by the clubs intent on wringing as much revenue from their membership base as possible. Many clubs are touting premium “Academy Style” training programs that are in reality nothing more than their regular sub-standard training drills re-packaged as over-priced, premium training programs to the masses.

The gap becomes even more glaring when the female side of the game is factored in. Many programs and International club scouting opportunities are in reality designed for the male athletes and offering bogus female packages in a male-centric training environment is the most blatant cash grab currently being administered by the clubs.

While some Academies do not really promote the female game, others have been very progressive in obtaining opportunities (French and Swiss opportunities, International FA scouting, Showcases and Academy teams) and do not see the female side of the game as nothing more than funding for the males to be successful.

The main difference between real Academies and club Academies is that the clubs ignore the majority of players that require the development programs the most while concentrating on trying to produce teams that win trophies, while Academies stress training and development as being more important than excessive competition. In the Academy system, as there is no promotion and relegation, the “win at all costs” mentality that permeates the clubs is not prevalent so that development is the ultimate goal and can be brought along correctly.

The club system simply cannot compete as teams need to continue to stay at the top of the Pyramid of Play or eventually they will lose their top players and in far too many cases, will also probably fold. This subsequent loss of revenue to the clubs over a period of time can be substantial.

The club system in Ontario is designed to fail. In reality it has been failing for many years.

The main revenue source for the clubs and ultimately the OSA, the internal House League, is diminishing every year as more and more parents are not seeing any benefit from staying, playing and overpaying in the current club system.

Soccer, especially for young kids, used to be affordable. All that was required was a ball, cleats and shin pads. However, the registration fees and surcharges have been steadily climbing at both House League and Rep level to the point where it is no longer affordable for many parents in today’s economy.

The clubs, who are registered as not-for-profit organizations tasked with providing a service to the public, have suddenly become little corporations bent on squeezing every conceivable ever-increasing service charge out of their members in order to fund their Board of Director’s grandiose visions. At the top of the money grabbing tree is the OSA, lurking like a hungry predator waiting to snap up as much revenue as it can fit into its engorged stomach.

The dilemma is that the clubs have failed miserably at what they are supposed to be providing and that is services to their membership at a fair and reasonable cost. Add the OSA’s ever-increasing funding fees on top of the club fees and it becomes easy to see but difficult to understand why the costs continue to spiral upwards annually.

Where is the value in the clubs and the OSA raising their fees annually?

• How many of the House League players in Ontario enjoy the best fields, premium training programs, premium coaching programs, showcasing and professional opportunities currently available?
• How many House League players will ever have the opportunity to use the facilities at the Ontario Soccer Centre?
• How many House League players and parents are even aware of the OSA Insurance program?
• How many House League players and parents understand that the OSA Insurance program is extremely more costly than obtaining private insurance for the players and the savings per player annually is substantial?
• How long will the paying public continue to over fund programs from which their children will never gain any tangible benefits?

The OSA and the clubs only real defense against the Academies and the Academy system is based on a misconception. Too many times, criticism from the clubs and the OSA minions will erroneously state that the Academy system is established primarily as a cash grab and the costs are way too expensive. While it is true that the cost of some Academy programs can be quite substantial, what the OSA and the clubs will not tell you is that their own top level programs and teams carry costs that are on par or higher than most of the Academy system.

The days of painting Academies as the Shylock of the Canadian soccer world are over. Those infantile scare tactics will no longer work especially in a climate of mismanagement and incompetence fostered by the OSA and the clubs by failing to properly identify and develop the next generation of world class players Canada desperately needs to compete on both sides of the gender equation.

The Academy training systems and philosophies are polar opposites of the OSA and the clubs.

Academies do not see players as being disposable but as assets that need to continue to develop and progress correctly in the right training environment. Academy trainees are encouraged to pursue the highest levels of technical and tactical skills while developing a precise understanding on how the game is actually played. The OSA/ Club system in contrast, has been excessively fixated around winning competitions that do very little to develop the players.

When the opportunities arise for the player to progress to a higher level (College, University, Professional or National teams), no one will care about how many trophies the player has won, they will care that the player possesses the game intelligence, technical and tactical skills and athletic conditioning that will be required to compete.

It is in these critical development areas where the OSA and the clubs have continued to shortchange their membership.

The OSA had an incredible chance to integrate Academies into the mainstream along the same lines that the US has managed to accomplish successfully. In the US, Academies have now supplanted the clubs as the main source of players to the National Teams, the ODP Development programs and as the main source of students on scholarships to Colleges and Universities.

The OSA once again botched their responsibility to the soccer public in Ontario.

The pipeline of development in the US and many other successful soccer countries now emanate from the Academy system, yet in a soccer backwater like Canada, Academies are kept out of the mainstream to protect the selfish regional political and financial demands of a few individuals desperate to hang on to a diminishing power base.

The irony of this situation is that the Academy system does not need the OSA and the clubs to continue to thrive. In fact, Academies gained their foothold because the OSA and the clubs were very myopic in their approach to long term development and have continued to grow due to the stagnation of the establishment in providing a suitable alternative to the Academy programs.

In 2010, the OSA and the clubs are playing catch-up to an Academy system that is increasingly rendering them irrelevant.

Their answer was to give the Academies limited access to the OSA. Except for certain members of SAAC, who had vested interests in the CSA system, no Academies have even bothered to acknowledge the OSA’s affronting membership offer.

What is increasingly likely to continue occurring is that the OSA and the clubs will continue to falter and alienate their paying membership to the benefit of the Academies.

Had the OSA had more foresight and some intestinal fortitude, Ontario soccer would be heading down a different and more constructive long term path.

However, as usual, it is more of the same from Vaughan; over 100 years and still no direction.

Another missed opportunity.

Showcase 2010 A Major Success

2010-05-22T01:29:00.006-04:00

RDA in partnership with Riverside Canada, proudly presented Showcase 2010 at the Hershey SportsZone on May 19, 2010.

The event was open to Academy players from Riverside Canada, RDA and their partners who came together to bring Showcase 2010 to reality.

Confirmed attendees included US and Canadian Colleges and Universities, National Associations from the Caribbean and Academies from Europe.

Showcase 2010 was the inaugural event for Academies in the GTA to Showcase Academy players. Showcase 2011 will be held in February 2011.

RDA and Riverside Canada extend our sincerest thanks to the Coaches who attended as well as to the Athletes who put on an excellent show for the many coaches, parents, spectators and Mississauga area club officials who were trying to be discreet by mingling in with the crowd.

It truly was an amazing performance.

RDA and Riverside Canada look forward to presenting Showcase 2011.

Academy Alumnus Selected for Canada U20 Camp

2010-05-09T23:30:00.005-04:00

The Red Devils Academy (RDA) is extremely proud to announce that Alumnus Madison Solow has been selected to attend the Canada U20 National Team training camp in Surrey, BC from May 9-12 2010.

Madison, who also trained at the prestigious IMG Academies in Bradenton, FL, is another of the Academy players whose levels of skill are now being noticed after years of the National program favoring the "kick and run athlete" policy that has left Canada well behind their CONCACAF rivals in tactical and technical development. Players who have concentrated on developing technical and tactical skill are now becoming sought after as the National program looks to put Canada back at the top in women's soccer.

RDA is very well positioned to provide those players.

The staff and trainees at RDA wish Madison continued success in Canada's National program and will be following her progress intently as she continue to excel.

You have made all of us at RDA very proud.

Academy Alumni Selected For Guyana National Team Camp

2010-05-03T22:25:00.008-04:00

The Red Devils Academy (RDA) is extremely proud to announce that Alumnus Elysia Prasad has been selected to attend the Guyana National Team training camp in Pickering from May 3-8 2010.

At the training camp, Elysia will join another Academy Alumnus, Ashlee Savona, who is currently on the squad and represented the Lady Jaguars in the first round of CONCACAF qualifiers held in March 2010. The Lady Jaguars won their Preliminary Round group to advance to the second stage being held in Trinidad and Tobago from May 9 2010.

The staff and trainees at RDA wish Elysia and Ashlee continued success in their World Cup adventure and will be following their progress intently as they continue to excel.

You both have made all of us at RDA very proud.

Despite The Win Over the US, It Is Time For Rosenfeld To Go

2010-03-19T19:46:00.014-04:00

Despite the qualification of the of the Canadian U17 team for the U17 World Cup later this fall, their overall performance in the recently concluded CONCACAF U17 World Cup qualifying tournament in Costa Rica illustrates that the CSA High Profile Player Development Program, in its current form, needs to be seriously overhauled. Conversely the reorganization must include the removal of many executives and coaches who manage all aspects of the program and needs to be done immediately before Canada wastes the momentum of another team going to the World Cup.

Evidenced from the player selection to the coaching tactics and training regimens that were on display in Costa Rica, despite the gutsy penalty win over the US in the semi-finals, those who are tasked with bringing Canada to the highest echelons of world soccer are myopic, politically and regionally motivated, incompetent and hopelessly out of touch.

What does not need to happen is for the problems that were highlighted in lack of tactical and technical skills of both the players and coaches throughout this tournament, to be conveniently ignored in the euphoria of a narrow victory. Let us also not forget that the US created many more chances in the game and were always more dangerous on the ball. On any other day they would probably have won handily. Canada showed massive amounts of courage and heart but very little tactical and technical ability in winning the right to go to the World Cup.

One victory over the US does not make Canada a favourite for the World Cup tournament as there are many teams that are celebrating the Canadian win (Germany, Brazil, and Korea) as they now have will have an easier path in the tournament. It does, however, guarantee that every game they play will now have to be played at the same intensity as they were forced to play against the US.

Victory against a top level team guarantees that Canada will no longer be taken lightly by any team in the future.

Success at the top level will now be expected.

In Ontario, to qualify for National Selection, that is until the new WNT coach came on to the scene in 2009, a player has to be selected through a weeding out process that starts at the District level at U12, the Regional level at U13 and Provincial selection at U14. Unlike most countries that expand the selection process at the younger ages, Canada’s system does the reverse, whittling down the selection pool considerably by the Provincial level. NTC players are then selected from Provincial level at U16. Of course they are cases where players arrive at a later age and are selected directly into the program; however these are exceptions to the overall structure under the High Profile Player Development Program.

As head of Player Development for Ontario, Rosenfeld is responsible for player selection, training, coaching and NTC selection. As the incumbent coach of the U17 National team, he is directly responsible for player selection, training and coaching tactics that were on display in Costa Rica. This is Rosenfeld’s team with a full complement from his Ontario National Training Center.

Despite the qualification, the display was at most times embarrassing. There is never a question that the Canadian teams will play with heart and courage, that is what we are blessed with, however they show an alarming tendency to turn the ball over and an inability to play consistently on and off of the ball, especially under pressure. Their basic ball control skills, passing and receiving and execution on set plays are also sadly lacking.

One victory over the US does not correct those glaring inefficiencies.

It is easy for the majority to turn a blind eye and follow the mantra that “we are winning so what is the problem” that is always parroted by the CSA and OSA mandarins. The truth is that the U17 World Cup is only important in the overall plan as an early identifier for players to move on in the selection process for the real prize; the Canadian Senior National Team.

To compete at the full National level requires players to possess tactical and technical skill as well as the ability to think and react quickly under pressure. In this tournament, Canada, save for very few players, was found lacking in all areas. Yet after qualification to the U17 World Cup I fully expect that these areas will be conveniently forgotten by the CSA in the afterglow of the big win.

And that would be a serious mistake.

Truthfully, how many players, based on their performances in Costa Rica, will have earned the call to move on in the process?

The reality is very, very few.

Canada needs to identify, train and develop athletes who are capable of playing at the highest level. In order to accomplish that they will need to be tactically astute, technically outstanding and physically superb. At present we have a group of athletes who can run, clutch, grab, tackle and play hard and courageous within their limitations. What we do not have in the current NTC Program are intelligent soccer players who are able to pass and receive properly, possess the ability to master players 1 v1 and dictate the tempo of the game by controlling the play on the field.

Will this be enough to move on to represent Canada against established global powers of the women’s game as well as dealing with the growing power of our CONCACAF opponents who are starting to eclipse us in the regional game?

If the CSA continues to stay the course and does not make the necessary and immediate changes to our National Training Programs to ensure all aspects of the game are made a priority, the answer to that question will be a resounding no.

Canada needs more than heart and courage to compete on the world stage against the best teams in the world.

Success at U17 does not guarantee success at the full national level.

Rosenfeld as the head of Player Development and the representative for NTC Ontario is directly responsible for the shambolic state of the High Profile Player Development Program in Canada’s largest Province. It is a testament to the lack quality being produced that the National Team coach has bypassed the NTC and identified many players who either were totally ignored or tossed aside at U13 by the system through University and Academy scouting and open tryouts. A narrow win over the US does not change the fact that Canada’s largest Province has failed to produce the quality players necessary to feed the Senior National Team consistently.

Rosenfeld must shoulder the blame for that unacceptable state of affairs and should be relieved of any further involvement in the High Profile Player Development Program.

The question now is whether the CSA will have the fortitude to dismiss him in light of the victory over the US and the qualification for the U17 World Cup tournament.

Failure to do so would be a serious mistake.

Academy Alumnus Selected to Play For the Dominica National Team

2010-02-08T16:31:00.009-05:00

The Red Devils Academy (RDA) is extremely proud to announce that Alumnus Kira Bertrand has been selected to represent the Dominica Senior National Team in the upcoming CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers in March 2010.

Kira previously represented Dominica in the U20 CONCACAF Qualifiers in November 2009 where she had the honour of scoring the very first competitive goal for the Dominican Women’s National Program. The upcoming World Cup Qualifiers will also represent the first time that the Dominica National team will be participating in the Women’s World Cup.

The staff and trainees at RDA wish Kira continued success in her World Cup adventure and will be following her progress intently as she continues to excel.

You have made all of us at RDA very proud.

Academy Alumni Win Ontario Cup

2010-02-02T14:21:00.009-05:00

Academy Alumni Veronica Pontes and Jacqueline Lence, members of the Erin Mills Eagles 1993 team, won the U-18 Ontario Indoor Cup for 2010 defeating Burlington 2-1 in the Championship game. The U17 Eagles were playing in an older age group for this tournament.

The tournament, played over the last 2 months, saw the Eagles team qualify from the preliminary round, defeat Sudbury and Brams United and tie Unionville to qualify for the semi-finals as group winners and beat the Lakehead Express from Thunder Bay 3-2 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie, to advance to the final.

Congratulations to Veronica, Jacqueline and all of the players and coaches from Erin Mills on becoming Ontario Indoor Cup Champions for 2010.

RDA Alumnus Invited to ODP Tryout

2010-02-02T12:44:00.007-05:00

Academy Alumnus Lauren Blaiwais, a member of the Toronto Lynx Junior Team playing in the Super Y League, has been invited to attend the Super Y League Olympic Development Program (ODP) tryouts for the Midwest Region in the United States.

As a member of the Toronto Lynx, Lauren has enjoyed success in the Super Y League with the Lynx being ranked number 1 club in the MidWest and in the top 12 for the Super Y League. In addition the Lynx Junior team recently played at the prestigious North American Finals for the League Championship held in Florida in December 2009.

Congratulations to Lauren for her outstanding accomplishment on being selected to the Super Y League ODP tryouts.

The CSA's "Pathway To Excellence" Document Misses The Mark

2010-01-01T01:19:00.011-05:00

Once again a new year for soccer in Canada is now upon us.

It is also, not coincidentally, time for yet another document from the CSA that once again maps out how soccer in Canada is going to be revolutionized by the new world thinking coming from Metcalfe Street.

The problem is, once again, that the CSA has failed to recognize what is really wrong with soccer in Canada.

The answer, as any soccer player, parent and fan in this country will testify to, is that the CSA is the problem.

Simply put: Football (soccer) in Canada is broken.

It was broken by years of inaction, bureaucracy, petty politics and regional agendas by the very people who sit on the Board of Directors of the CSA.

As long as the CSA refuses to acknowledge that repairing the massive damage that has been done to the sport in this country cannot be accomplished by the very same people who are responsible for the destruction, the merry-go-round will continue.

There are renewed calls for a Canadian version of the now fabled “Crawford Report” that transformed the governance and organization of soccer in Australia, a country with very similar demographics, geography and problems to Canada.

However, in Canada the main stumbling block is the Board of Directors at the CSA who refuse to acknowledge that their resignations would be the catalyst for soccer in this country to begin to reform itself and move forward.

Instead, the CSA continues to churn out new guidelines and plans mapping out the way forward for the masses without ever addressing the main issues that have consigned Canada to the status of a third rate nation in the world Football hierarchy.

The time has long passed when the CSA and it's Provincial minions were able to read the pulse of soccer in Canada. As often happens, anachronistic institutions who steadfastly refuse or are too blinded by their own incompetence to recognize their fallacies are doomed to fail.

The CSA is the epitome of such an organization.

Canada needs a bold step forward in order to begin to lay the groundwork for a successful soccer program for future generations to benefit. This cannot be accomplished as long as the out of touch members of the CSA and the Provincial bodies desperately continue to cling to power and refuse to step aside.

What we don't need is more of the same from the very people who have created the debacle we are currently immersed in. It is time for all of the paying members of Canadian soccer to enforce the required action on the CSA.

What we continue to be force fed by the CSA is more empty rhetoric, unrealistic long term plans and yearly cash grabs.

The time for action to remove the CSA from the governance of Canadian soccer is now.

RDA Alumni To Attend FC Neunkirch Tryouts

2009-12-08T17:03:00.005-05:00

The RDA Staff is pleased to announce that RDA Alumni will be attending the open tryouts for FC Neunkirch Academy from Switzerland on December 18th 2009 at the Wild Water Kingdom Dome in Brampton. The tryouts are being held to identify female players from 16 to 25 years of age who will be invited by FC Neunkirch to join their 2009-2010 program from January to June 2010.

RDA is proud to be involved with Winstars Female Soccer School in this progressive venture that seeks to provide top level opportunities to Canadian players.

For the right candidates, FC Neunkirch will offer the following:

Free return flights to Switzerland
Free room and board with a local Swiss soccer family
Quality soccer development in a fully immersed soccer environment
Free German language lessons
A European adventure to last a lifetime

In order to be eligible for the tryouts, all interested players must register on-line through the Winstars Tryouts Registration Site located at:

http://www.winstarssoccer.com/female_registartion.htm#register

In addition, this will also be a great opportunity for players to showcase their talents in front of invited guests from Colleges and Universities in Canada and the US as well as the Canadian women's National program.

Be sure to go on-line and reserve your place at the tryouts today.

For more information contact the RDA Staff at: theacademy@bellnet.ca.

Why Practices Should Include Endurance Work | Active.com

2009-10-06T00:09:00.002-04:00

Why Practices Should Include Endurance Work | Active.com

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Does the CSA Possess the Fortitude to Reform Itself?

2009-09-21T19:37:00.010-04:00

The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) is currently in the middle of another round of their annual “necessary changes’” closed door meetings designed at restructuring the organization and the way soccer is run in this country.

What is different his time around is that the CSA through its General Secretary Peter Montopoli, has finally acknowledged that the governance of soccer in Canada is not working. Had the CSA opened a web browser anytime over the last few years and logged on the many Canadian soccer forums available, they would have known that a long time ago.

However, I will finally give the CSA credit for publicly admitting what we all know and that is that there is a problem in Canadian soccer.

A small step forward is progress, especially as far as the CSA is concerned.

Additionally, Montopoli made reference to the two models that he views as potential templates for the “new” CSA: the US and Australia. Once again the failure to be web literate has allowed the CSA to now trumpet models such as the Crawford Report that remodeled the system in Australia, something that the Canadian soccer public through the on-line talk forums, have been calling for years.

Once again, a small step forward is progress, especially as far as the CSA is concerned.

However, what Montopoli, fails to address (or is it reluctance) is that in the case of Australia, the system was so corrupted by Regional infighting and arrogance, that it mandated the removal of everyone who was associated with the previous system to be replaced by competent professionals who understood how a multi-million dollar industry needs to work and had the courage to implement the required changes.

In addition, in the US the availability of copious amounts of corporate money allows their system to have inherent advantages over countries such as Canada where sponsorship and financing is basically a failed endeavor.

These are the core issues that the CSA continues to balk at correcting when it comes to reforming the business of soccer in Canada.

To begin with, how effective will any type of reorganization coming from within the CSA actually be? What Montopoli will not address, as he is obviously fearful for his own job security, is that the CSA is the problem. The organization is a cornucopia of Regional fiefdoms, personal agendas, infighting, self preservation and overriding arrogance masquerading as a soccer governing body.

Any reform from within the ranks of the crumbling infrastructure will amount to window dressing at best. Expecting the CSA to make the bold sweeping changes necessary is akin to expecting Bernie Madoff to refund your money.

Simply put, it isn’t going to happen!

Talking is a currency that the CSA is very well acquainted with and the only one they have an abundance of. Converting the talk in to action, however, continues to be a very foreign concept at the CSA and something that they lack understanding of. What Montopoli needs to demonstrate is his willingness to step forward and castigate the CSA for its actual shortcomings as a precursor to the changes that are long overdue. Failure to take the drastic measures required will doom the latest proposed changes to the status of “window dressing” once again.

This brings us back to the initial question:

Does the CSA Possess the Fortitude to Reform Itself?

Clearly from the baby steps being discussed in the media there is acknowledgment that changes are inevitable. However, any organization that is arrogant enough to believe that they can reform themselves internally after decades of failure is out of touch with reality and the Canadian soccer paying public. What the CSA is seeking to do is reposition itself as a professional organization with strong working ties with the professional clubs that are gaining more of a foothold on the male youth soccer market while maintaining positions for the Directors and employees currently in place.

This is not the reform that the soccer public has been demanding; this is designed as a protective and pre-emptive measure to save the jobs of the old boy network that has ruined Canadian soccer for decades.

Peter Montopoli needs to stand up and tell everyone the truth.

Until there is real leadership at the highest levels of the sport of soccer in Canada, nothing will ever change. That leadership needs to start fresh and cannot be tied to a legacy of failure represented by Montopoli and all of the old boys at the CSA.

Then and only then will the governance of soccer in Canada become something we can all start to embrace.

RDA Training 2009-2010

2009-09-11T16:55:00.007-04:00

The Red Devils Academy offers a comprehensive and progressive training program for the serious football (soccer) athlete. Our aim is to prepare players for the highest levels within the sport: Academy, Provincial/ ODP, College/ University, National, International and Professional Football (soccer).

Contact RDA today!And here is the rest of it.

With Cannovan Gone, the OSA has a Chance to Move Forward

2009-09-10T18:28:00.007-04:00

The recent announced resignation of Jim Cannovan, the OSA Technical Director since 1994, has been met with widely euphoric praise by an overwhelming majority of Ontario’s soccer community. It is telling that aside from his cronies at the OSA, he has received scant praise for his job performance after 15 years as the architect of Ontario’s failed Player Development and Grassroots soccer models.

That comes as no surprise; however the timing of the recent announcement does.

The much maligned Cannovan was the archetype of the old boy soccer fossil that has hindered and damaged the development and growth of the game in Ontario. His resignation, while very welcome across the soccer spectrum, comes at a time when soccer in Ontario and Canada as a whole is about to undergo a major overhaul. FIFA’s recent directive ordering the registration of Academies as well as the new directions being put forward within the National Programs for Canada’s Male and Female teams has thrown the soccer establishment (CSA, OSA) in to a massive panic over the mandated and necessary changes.

The old guard simply cannot be tasked with implementing any kind of progressive change in Ontario any longer.

Is the sudden resignation of Cannovan a sign that Vaughan is finally willing to take the formative steps towards change by removing some of the most vociferous supporters of the status quo?

The landscape of soccer in Ontario has changed drastically over the last few years. With the growth of Academies, opting out of OSA programs and control is now a reality. The OSA, through its archaic structure of Clubs and Districts, is no longer the only avenue for players to develop their skills and move forward professionally and academically. Professional clubs, male and now female, as well as US Colleges and Canadian Universities, now source players directly from Academies as well as clubs and OSA Development Programs.

The only area that Academies have been prevented from competing on a level playing field is in the OSA competitions; Ontario Cup, OYSL, Regional and District Leagues and sanctioned Tournaments.

The OSA has continued to attempt to marginalize the growth of academies by the excluding them from competing against the established clubs in a true competitive environment. The reason to exclude Academies was based on the overriding fear that the money and surcharges derived from player registrations that allow the OSA to function would be lost without the OSA being able to replace the revenue from alternate sources.

The only way for the OSA to ensure the revenue stream continues unabated is not to allow any competitive choice for Ontario’s 500,000 plus players.

Now that FIFA has leveled the playing field by implementing Circular 1190 effective October 1 2009, what is the OSA going to do to prevent the Armageddon scenario from coming to fruition?

What is becoming clearer is that the OSA is not properly positioned to implement the necessary changes as there are too many entrenched Directors and employees who are more interested in self preservation rather than the proper growth of soccer in Ontario.

The resignation of Jim Cannovan would be a very positive step only if the OSA handles his departure correctly. Progressive steps need to be taken to ensure a qualified successor is appointed within a suitable time frame.

The new Technical Director of the OSA cannot be from another soccer backwater such as Scotland; the time for giving jobs at the OSA to one of the boys from the home country is over.

Furthermore, this departure cannot be the only one that occurs; the housecleaning at the palace in Vaughan needs to continue in earnest until the correct management and growth of soccer in Ontario truly becomes the mandate of the OSA.

Let the welcome departure of Jim Cannovan be the lightning rod for real change in Ontario soccer.

FIFA to Associations: Register Academy Players

2009-09-03T14:06:00.005-04:00

Vaughan, Ontario September 1 2009-

In May 2009 FIFA, the governing body for soccer worldwide, issued a directive regarding revised regulations for the status and transfer of players. Specifically circular 1190 deals with FIFA member obligations regarding the protection of minors.

This binding report states: “each association [under FIFA] is obliged to ensure that all players attending an academy that is not linked to a club…are reported to the association”. The circular also goes on to state that the purpose of the new regulations is to “better monitor and control the observance of the rules pertaining to the protection of minors in order to safeguard young players as well as training clubs from being exploited”.
In the official amendment to the regulations, an ‘Academy’ is defined by FIFA as “an organization or an independent legal entity whose primary, long-term objective is to provide players with long-term training through the provision of the necessary training facilities and infrastructure. This shall primarily include, but not be limited to, football training centres, football camps, football schools, etc.”.

The new regulation (19bis) also states:

Each association is obliged to ensure that all academies …:

a) run a club that participates in the relevant national championships; all players shall be reported to the association upon whose territory the academy operates, or registered with the club itself; or

b) report all minors who attend the academy for the purpose of training to the association upon whose territory the academy operates.

These regulations are to go into effect on October 1, 2009. Violations of the new provisions would be subject to sanctions by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

RDA welcomes the latest developments from the FIFA Congress in Nassau, Bahamas regarding the issue of protection of minors.

As the current Canadian system is designed for the protection of the status quo and continues to turn a blind eye to the growing importance and influence of Academies, it is high time that every organization tasked with the development of youth players in Canada are allowed to compete on a level playing field.

The policy of Exclusion that has predominantly been utilized by the CSA and the OSA to stem the growth of academies has been rendered irrelevant by the new FIFA ruling. The new policy going forward will now have to be a policy of Inclusion.

It is critical to the well-being of youth players as well as to the success of player development in general that those charged with training minors be held to the highest standards of safety and competence.

RDA welcomes the opportunity to continue to offer programs for the development of youth players as our organization has been doing since 2002, with the support of FIFA and their representatives (OSA, CSA) in Canada.

RDA AAP Now Accepting New Players

2009-08-29T02:41:00.004-04:00

From the moment the story on Vicky Correa-Parsons’ accomplishments was picked up by the news media in Canada, the US as well as the internet, RDA has become the focus of a lot of positive attention.

We have been since been contacted by a representative of the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) with a request to review RDA as well as scout players in the RDA AAP Program, as they in turn have been contacted by several Universities (Michigan, Syracuse, Purdue) regarding the availability of players for their respective scholarship programs.

The opportunity to introduce our players who are interested in pursuing University and College opportunities through the RDA AAP Program has always been a long term goal of RDA.

While we have been reasonably successful in this area, this current opportunity allows us the ability to showcase our trainees to a much wider audience with a greater potential for successful placements.

In addition, an RDA representative has since been contacted by FC Neunkirch with regard to trainees that are interested in opportunities in Europe within the Academy structure.

The Staff at RDA is genuinely excited to be able to look at potential opportunities for our trainees to pursue opportunities in Europe that have previously not been offered to Canadian players.

The training is ongoing for all interested RDA trainees and Alumni.

RDA will also be accepting new players who are genuinely interested in pursuing College/ University as well as professional opportunities and possess the desire and work ethic to succeed.

New players will be required to tryout for the RDA Program.

Training is held at Ellengale Fields; please contact the Academy Staff for more information.

An Inside Look at a Pro Soccer Practice | Active.com

2009-08-28T22:28:00.001-04:00

An Inside Look at a Pro Soccer Practice | Active.com

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RDA Training Philosophy

2009-08-28T00:26:00.015-04:00

The Red Devils Academy offers a comprehensive and progressive training program for the serious football (soccer) athlete.

The Academy promotes high academic standards and expects its trainees to effectively balance their time so as to ensure excellence off the field, as well as on it.

The Academy has designed a multi-faceted training program in order to enhance to development of each individual trainee based on age and skill specific training.

Our emphasis is on long term player growth. The players are given a foundation for the game on which they can improve and develop and are instructed in a training system and environment where the individual can excel and thrive.

Contact RDA today!

21 Important Things For Academy Trainees To Know

2009-08-24T18:46:00.049-04:00

- A complete soccer player must have technical skills, tactical knowledge, be fit, psychologically strong, self-disciplined, motivated and a person who understands that intelligence is the most important skill necessary.

- Pressure is the key to success. Always practice at your maximum intensity.

- After a goal, always thank your teammate for the assist. Quite often that player has made the tougher play.

- Always train on the edge of your skill level and strive for improvement in all aspects of your game. If you always train in your comfort zone, you will never get better.

- Beat your opponent to the ball. It is more difficult for your opponent to control the play if they don't have the ball.

- Do not just kick the ball unless it is in a dangerous position in front of our goal. Instead, take a "picture" of the situation before you get the ball. In this way you can perceive the situation, determine the best solution, and act accordingly when the ball arrives.

- Respect the decisions of the referee. They are not dishonest, but sometimes they will make mistakes, just as we do. Understanding the role of the officials in the game is very important.

- Don't blindly run forward and leave your teammates when your team has the ball. Most offensive plays start from the back using as many players as necessary to bring the play forward.

- Never be afraid to take a shot in front of the goal. Intelligent decision making will determine if a shot or a pass is the better option but a player should always be looking to score the goal first.

- Don't be afraid to try different plays; mistakes can and will happen. Always remember that if you are afraid to make a mistake, you will never learn to play the game properly. No one, especially the professional players, play error free at any time.

- If you can't pass and receive a soccer ball, you can't play soccer effectively. Always practice control (keep ups), passing, receiving, dribbling, heading and chesting as a regular part of your individual training.

- If you lose the ball, you should be the first person on defense. Giving immediate chase is the first rule of defense. Transition defines a player.

- In a soccer game, maintaining possession of the ball is the key to being successful.

- Assess risk versus gain when taking chances in the defensive third of the field. If in doubt, play safe and put the ball out of play.

- Never argue or talk back to the coaches and trainers, they want to help you to become a better player. Listen and learn from them. If you disagree with something, find an appropriate time to discuss it with them.

- Never criticize another trainee. If they make a mistake help them learn by showing them how to do the required skill. Be a positive force on the training field as this will also enhance your training.Remember that you will make many mistakes as well.

- When changing from offense to defense, sprint to get between your man and the goal you are defending. Assess the attack and determine whether getting numbers behind the ball or a quick counter will yield the best result.

- When your team has the ball, everyone is on offense; when your opponents have the ball, everyone is on defense. Pressure must be applied on the ball to force mistakes and turnovers.

- Win, lose, or tie, if you have given 100 percent when you walk off the field, you have nothing to be ashamed of and should not have any regrets.

- Always assess your performance at the end of a game or training session honestly. Are there areas you can work on to improve and become a more complete player? You will benefit from being able to understand what you need to do to improve.

- Work hard, but never forget to enjoy the game.

RDA On-Line Store Now Open

2009-08-24T15:09:00.005-04:00

The RDA On-Line Store is now open.

At the RDA On-Line store you can:

Purchase authentic RDA Logo merchandise

Pay the Registration Fee for Summer Clinics

Pay the Registration Fee for all Winter Clinics

Pay the Registration Fee for RDA Camps

Use VISA, M/C, American Express and PayPal for all purchases

Visit the RDA On-Line Store today.

Why “Off The Pitch” and Other Soccer Forums Play a Vital Role

2009-08-24T00:48:00.013-04:00

Canadian soccer for most of it’s history has been run by an “old boys” network who are quite content to conduct business behind closed doors and out of the public eye.
This cloak of pervasive secrecy permeates the CSA, the Provincial Associations, the Regional and District Associations and the clubs across the country. For a sporting community that produces the largest growth and participation numbers in Canadian sport along with budgets in the millions of dollars annually, this is an absolutely unacceptable and anachronistic business practice that has gone unchecked for far too long.

In Ontario, we have an organization tasked with being all things soccer to the largest number of participants in the most populated Province, however, the OSA is an anomaly; old age thinkers trying to become relevant in a new age, bereft of any meaningful direction or purpose.

Soccer in Canada and Ontario is first and foremost a business; the customers pay the clubs money to have their children play in a supervised program under the overall direction of the sports governing bodies. Extra charges are levied by the governing bodies on to the paying customers to raise revenue for various budget items, programs and plans.

The corporate structure allows the parent body control over the sport but no direct control over the individual clubs where the majority of the money is collected and the majority of the systemic problems occur; that task falls to the respective Regional and District Associations who quite unsurprisingly are staffed by members from the very clubs that they are responsible for.

Clearly this business model is nepotistic, obsolete and designed to fail.

In fact it has been failing for a long time; That is due to the fact that the little people, the actual paying customer at the club level, who are providing the majority of the revenue that funds soccer in Canada annually have virtually no voice in how the clubs, Regions and Districts, Provincial bodies and the CSA run the business of soccer in Canada.

That is until now: with the advent of the soccer talk forums in this country, there is no longer any place in the smokey backrooms of the “old boys clubs” for those responsible for the mismanagement of soccer in Canada to hide.

In a free and democratic society, the ability to voice your opinions is a cornerstone of our society. Parents, coaches and players who in the past had the temerity to question decisions made behind closed doors - often poorly thought out and self-serving for a few- were branded, quite conveniently, as “problems” and were summarily blacklisted along with their kids. The fear of having your son and daughter penalized for you voicing your opinions is often enough to scare even the most dogged of adults in to silence.

This climate of fear and retribution has been the way the establishment in Canadian soccer (a.k.a the “old boys”) has traditionally conducted their business.

With the advent of soccer talk forums, posters can now bring to light issues with teams, clubs, coaches, referees, Districts, Regions, the OSA and the CSA for full public view and discussion.

Forums have forced all of the soccer organizations at all levels to realize that unscrupulous behavior and questionable business practices cannot be covered up internally anymore; one posting on a thread on a soccer forum and these issues gain a reading audience in the thousands within a relatively short period of time.

Witness the fallout over the recent fiasco involving 11-year-old kids playing in the Ontario Cup with the Erin Mills SC, the internal power struggle with North Mississauga SC last winter as well as the constant exposing of the deficiencies in the National Training and Provincial programs as an example and realize the power that the forums carry in today’s wireless universe.

These topics are presented, read, and commented on within minutes, not weeks or months when the damage has been minimized by time and the immediate fallout from a negative report can prove to be extremely damaging.

Public perception and opinion can be beneficial or devastating for a soccer establishment that relies heavily on registration fees and sponsorships to operate annually. Ensuring that all aspects of the business of soccer are run in a transparent and consumer friendly way is essential to the long term growth of the sport in Canada.

Without the checks and balances provided by the soccer forums in Canada, this would not be possible.

To read and/ or join one of the major soccer forums in Canada, click the following links:

Off The Pitch
The Voyageurs Forum

The “Zidane and Friends” Fiasco Gives Canadian Soccer a Black Eye

2009-08-23T23:20:00.023-04:00

The recently concluded “Zidane and Friends” tour in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver was more of an unfortunate circus event rather than the anticipated “watershed” event that soccer in Canada was looking for to help boost the sport’s profile and popularity to the masses.

Instead of building on what should have been a public relations coup, the sport of soccer is being ridiculed in the press and by the general public for allowing this shameful spectacle to occur. The principal villain of this carnival was the event promoter, Ahcene Adlani (or Adlani Ahcene, take your pick), who has been unmasked as a professional huckster (and a poor one at that) instead of the self proclaimed "master promoter" from the press conference when the original announcement of the tour was made.

RDA, through our contact in Ontario, had forwarded a proposal to be involved with introducing several female teams for the Toronto event and had received a very positive response to our tender.

However, after constantly being asked for financial remuneration from the organizing group, it became clear to RDA that the tour organizers were more intent on raising capital rather than promoting the sport to the public.

At that point RDA withdrew our proposal and support.

It then comes as no surprise that Adlani was rebuffed by all major soccer organizations and Academies from coast to coast and the whole event took on the aura of a scam as Zidane’s “friends” were not the top level professionals that were advertised on the event web site and promotional flyers, but rather ordinary people Zidane looks to have met on facebook or on his way to the stadium.

The fallout from this event has affected many innocent parties:

- Patrons in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver who paid overpriced fees for what in effect was false advertising.

- Event partners in the 3 cities who are looking for promised remuneration for their promotional efforts.

- Event partners who are looking at a major loss of their credibility due to their involvement in this fiasco. A loss of credibility will mean a loss of business.

- Soccer players who came to tryout for the opportunity to be part of the “Friends” and “All-Star” Teams and were forced to pay for their part in the scam in order to become one of Zidane’s “new friends”.

- UNICEF Canada who are looking for the promised donations to their charity.

- Zinedine Zidane for allowing himself to be involved with Ahcene Adlani and the “Zidane and Friends” tour 2000.

There is no doubt that events such as this one will occur again.

There is also no doubt that event organizers such as Ahcene Adlani will try and promote another tour at a later date, packaged differently with different “Star” attractions, all for the same common goal as the Zidane tour; that is to separate the Canadian public from their hard earned money with false advertising and undelivered promises.

However, there are ways to fight back:

- Do not under any circumstances purchase tickets for non-sanctioned “events”, especially those events that promise “Star” players coming to play in Canada. Truthfully, when has this ever happened before?

- If you feel that you were personally the victim of a fraudulent act regarding the purchase of overpriced tickets to what in effect was a misrepresented event, there is a class action suit that is being prepared by other like minded individuals. Visit their facebook group and add your name to the lawsuit.

- Avoid any events being promoted by Ahcene Adlani, his representatives or any one who uses his name or his academy as a reference.

- Use the Internet to alert everyone to the “Zidane and Friends” event so that the organizers will never be able to approach the public again without questions and references to these events being raised.

Canadian soccer did not need or ask for this unfortunate black eye.

To prevent it from happening again we all have to be diligent and not provide any monetary support in order to ensure events such as these will not be seen as an easy money grab by a few unscrupulous hucksters.

Buyer Beware!

Academy Alumnus Returns To Quebec

2009-08-23T22:28:00.002-04:00

The Red Devils Academy is proud to announce that Alumnus Frederique Paquette-Tougas has successfully completed her tenure as an exchange student and has returned to Montreal following the conclusion of the 2008-09 school academic year.
Frederique, a Quebec Provincial player who plays for FC Select Rive-Sud in the Ligue de soccer élite du Québec, trained at RDA for the winter and spring sessions while she attended St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga. While at St. Martin, Frederique helped the school to a ROPSSAA title in flag football and 2 silver medals in the AAAA and AAA ROPSSAA championships in soccer.

Frederique showed great progress while attending RDA and while the staff and trainees are extremely grateful to have had the chance to work with her over the last 8 months, we at RDA are also sad to see her leave.

The Staff and trainees at RDA wish Frederique continued success in her academic and athletic career and will be following her progress intently as she continues to excel.

RDA will always be proud to have Frederique as an RDA Alumnus.

Academy Alumnus Invited to Train In Switzerland

2009-08-23T22:12:00.005-04:00

The Red Devils Academy is extremely proud to announce that Alumnus Vicky Correa-Parsons has been selected to train at FC Neunkirch Football Academy outside of Zurich, Switzerland for the 2009-2010 academic year.

NTC Player Invited To Train In Switzerland
After returning home from a successful weekend with the Buffalo Empire soccer team and being crowned New York West State Champions at the end of May, 17 year old Victoria Correa-Parsons was informed by her father of an e-mail she had received while she was away. “I read it and read it again. I just couldn’t belive what I was reading.” The e-mail came from Beat Stolz, the Manager of FC Neunkirch in Switzerland, inviting Victoria to come down and play for a year with their academy teams which feeds into their D1 and D2 professional teams.

Since the age of 10, Victoria has always split her time between RDA academy training and club teams. “I didn’t know it at the time, but the extra academy training really helped me to prepare. I was just a kid having fun playing soccer 5 days a week.” Than at 14, Vicky was selected to the Ontario Provincial Program and has been in the program ever since. When asked what she felt were some of the biggest moments for her as a young player, Victoria relied “I can honestly say three major things happened for me that changed my soccer life. The academy (RDA), my first real goalkeeping training with a really old guy they just call Keeper, and the big one, being selected to the Provincial Program.”

In 2008, Victoria was selected as one of the backup keepers for Coach Bryan Rosenfeld’s Canadian National U17 Women’s team, which participated in the CONCACAF qualifying rounds in Trinidad and Tobago. “I didn’t get to play, but boy did we train, I was there for the team unconditionally, one of the many things Bryan has taught me over the years.” Being on that roster along with Google was enough to catch the Swiss attention. “We Googled her and found many articles of success in such a young player.” Says Beat. After receiving videos of Victoria playing and training with the NTC squad, FC Neunkirch commented “we were impressed about the technical skills from Victoria seeing in these videos. We are a young team, average of 18.5 years and we are sure Victoria would become a leader within the team and the further development of her career is given from our point of view.”

Victoria will be flying down on July 26 with her chaperone, NTC Manger Stephanie Rushton, for a week long trial. “The team and the whole staff are looking forward with great pleasure to meet Vicky. We are convinced to support and develop Victoria on her next step in her keeper career and all are looking forward to see her and Stephanie soon. We are so excited about having a Canadian enhancement.” says Beat. Victoria will return in August to represent Ontario at the Canada Games with the Ontario Canada Games team and then back to Switzerland until June 2010.

The Staff and trainees at RDA wish Vicky continued success in her European adventure and will be following her progress intently as she continues to excel.

Once again you have made all of us very proud.

Please visit the OSA website for the complete article at: OSA

Please visit the Mississauga News website for the complete article at: Mississauga News