CAPERS Athletics formally announce partnership with Soccer Cape Breton RTC
The Department of Athletics at Cape Breton University is pleased to formally announce the development of a new partnership with Soccer Cape Breton Regional Training Centre for Under 12 and Under 10 boy's and girl's soccer programs.
The program which runs through the summer and winter seasons has seen these high performance programs branded in CAPERS orange and has allowed for the involvement of several current CAPERS varsity athletes in training and coaching.
"We are very happy to have this opportunity to partner with Soccer Cape Breton in this new initiative," said CBU Director of Athletics John Ryan. "We have always believed in the importance of working with the community and to be able to play a role in the helping develop not only this group of soccer players, but the sport overall is a perfect situation for our department."
While the CAPERS brand is prominent with the RTC teams donning identical orange uniforms as the CAPERS varsity teams, the partnership is about developing soccer as both the high performance and recreation levels.
"There is no denying the visibility of our brand, but we wanted to also convey the use of the team name CAPERS as all encompassing for Cape Breton athletes," said Ryan. "Something which is of greater importance to us is seeing our student-athletes getting involved with local community organizations and giving back to the sports they love."
While the partnership between CAPERS Athletics and Soccer Cape Breton currently covers only the RTC, the two groups are exploring further possibilities which include Capers varsity soccer players helping coach not only the RTC teams, but also all of the recreational level programs.
CAPERS Athletics is one of the top university athletic programs in Canada, with five CIS national medals and 16 AUS championships in the past decade.
"To be associated with the highest level of soccer in Nova Scotia and creating a working relationship with the Cape Breton University CAPERS is an exciting time for promising young athletes in the Regional Training Centre," said Mike Wyatt, Technical Director for Soccer Cape Breton. "The pathway to elite programs is an important strategy for Soccer Cape Breton and aligning ourselves and making that journey more visible with their programs and product only enhances the professionalism and commitment required to achieve the end goal of playing university soccer and particularly the CAPERS and AUS soccer.
"In addition, by working together to develop soccer we can encourage participation by allowing all players regardless of ability access to the elite athletes as we will be having even more coaches on the field from CBU in our winter programs."
The Program
A professional full-time program that practices and plays in the local Cape Breton leagues, playing up one age group, allowing players who play the sport year round a challenge and opportunity to increase their growth as a player. The regional Training Centre Program also provides consistent development for selected U12 &U10 players, with an aim to transferring its beneficial effects to clubs, districts and provincial teams. The program also aids in the identification and selection process of players for the Under 13 Soccer Nova Scotia Provincial Team.
Age Groups
The targeted age group for optimum delivery of this program is the under 12 boys and girls. Approximately 20 players per age group. However, Regional Head Coaches will have the ability to add younger or additional players where they feel appropriate.
Duration of Program
The summer program involves more than thirty sessions and starts in May and ends in September. Over the course of the program the Director of Coaching and Development of Soccer Nova Scotia will visit each Regional Training Center to provide feedback on the players and coaches involved.
Travel & Events Dates
· Bridgewater, South Shore, NS – U10 & U12 Programs (Both Genders) – July 12th, 13th & 14th
· RTC Exchange, Sydney, NS – U12 Programs (Both Genders) – July 27th & 28th
· Montreal, Quebec – U12 Program (Female) – August 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th
· U12 Tier 2A Provincials – U12 Program (Both Genders) – August 31st & September 1st
Achievements to Date
· U10 Boys – Winners – South Shore U10 Division
· U10 Girls – Silver – South Shore U10 Division
· U12 Girls – Silver (lost on penalties) – South Shore U12 Division
· U10 Boys - Currently Joint First – Cape Breton U12 Boys Division (9)
· U10 Girls – Currently Fourth – Cape Breton U12 Girls Division (9)
· U12 Girls – Champions (unbeaten) – Cape Breton U14 Girls (6)
· U12 Boys – On par to reach target of 50/50 win-loss ration
· U10 Girls – Gold – Cape Breton Event
· U11 Girls – Gold – Cape Breton Event
· U12 Girls – Silver – Cape Breton Event
Remaining Targets
· U12 Girls – Quebec – To win a medal
· U12 Girls – Win a medal
· U12 Boys – To qualify from their group
· All programs to continue to play their exciting brand of soccer regardless of the results