The Whitecaps FC Kootenays Academy hosted soccer camps at Moir Centennial Park in Cranbrook from July 14 to 16 with fantastic results.
According to Brett Adams, Kootenays Academy Centre head coach, registration in the annual camp was up from 67 players in 2014 to 100 players in 2015.
“[That] shows you how much we are growing in the area,” Adams wrote via email. “The level of play has soared in the last 12 months.”
The camp featured opportunities for players aged eight to 18, with a focus on creativity, technique and style of play.
Sam Heap, Kootenays Academy assistant coach, led the camps.
“Sam Heap has done a fantastic job to help prepare these players to play the ‘Whitecaps Way,’” Adams wrote.
In addition to the summer camps, the Whitecaps FC Kootenays East Prospects Academy runs fall and winter sessions from September through January, with additional sessions into early March.
According to Adams, the weekly prospect program has 90 players registered in it.
The Whitecaps FC Kootenays East Academy also partners with the Kootenay East Youth Soccer Association (KEYSA) to provide local coaching development.