NSCAC June Newsletter
NATIONAL SOCCER COACHES ASSOCIATION OF CANADA NEWSLETTER
Thursday, June 8, 2017
NSCAC Kickoff Clinic welcomed member coaches
A month after a postponement due to weather, the NSCAC finally held its first official Kickoff Clinic for member coaches last Saturday, June 3, at Thornhill Soccer Club’s turf ground at St Robert’s Catholic High School in Thornhill, ON. Bright, sunny skies welcomed member coaches in attendance as NSCAC partner club Thornhill SC hosted this inaugural event at its main soccer facility.
Clinic spotlight on prominent Ontario coaches
The Clinic included three 1-hour sessions conducted by three prominent Ontario coaches. Thornhill SC TD and NSCAC Director of Coaching Kosmas Mouratidis began the clinic with a demonstration of “Passing and Movement with a Purpose”. His emphasis during the session was on the players’ use of space when passing and receiving, as well as the importance of on field communication.
Next, our feature clinician, UEFA "A" licence coach Kevin McGreskin (pictured at left), conducted his specialized session on “Developing Field Vision and Game Awareness”. Kevin shared his philosophy on the importance of players’ assessment of options and their ability to see the field and make decisions before receiving the ball.
Finally, our third clinician, Riccardo Greco (pictured at left) of Extreme Goalkeeper Academy, demonstrated his unique goalkeeper teaching techniques as he worked with some of Thornhill SC’s young ‘keepers. In his one-to-one approach, Riccardo stressed the positioning of the hands and the quickness of feet required by today's goalkeeper. Riccardo was joined by Matthew Caldaroni, of Mind-Body Fusion, who shared his views on training a goalkeeper’s mindset and the impact it has on performance.
Member coaches in attendance were engaged throughout the clinic and capped off Greco’s final high-energy goalkeeping session with applause.
NSCAC member John Seeley, Malvern CI and Clairlea SC coach, said: "I really enjoyed it. Lots of great information! Kevin had some great ideas on teaching awareness. Kosmas' session and the goalkeeping session were fantastic! I wish I had experienced the goalie session a few years ago! It would have helped me with one of my prior goalkeepers. Looking forward to coming back!”
“It was an excellent day of learning with three great, quality sessions", said NSCAC Executive Director John DeBenedictis, who expressed his satisfaction with the inaugural clinic. "We had perfect weather and we know there were a number of coaches who wanted to attend but had team commitments.”
Exclusive offer from McGreskin to NSCAC
During his presentation, our featured speaker, Kevin McGreskin, offered our members a special price on his SoccereyeQ DVD series. The regular price of the DVD is $54 each or $90 for both volumes but NSCAC members can receive a special rate of $30 for one volume or $50 for both. To take advantage of this special offer, e-mail us at nscac@rogers.com if you would like to purchase a set and we'll reply promptly with payment and delivery instructions.
Second FREE Clinic available to member coaches If you missed last Saturday’s clinic, a second FREE clinic is scheduled for this Saturday, June 10, at the same facility, Thornhill SC’s turf field, at St. Robert’s Catholic High School, 8101 Leslie St., Thornhill, ON, from 11am-2pm. Our feature clinician will be Sport Scientist Richard Bucciarelli, Founder and President of Soccer Fitness Inc. Richard will conduct a session on “Speed, Agility and Quickness”. Joining Richard will be NSCAC National Staff Head Coach Tony La Ferrara and NSCAC Director of Coaching and Thornhill SC TD Kosmas Mouratidis. If you are a NSCAC member, simply register for the clinic by completing the online form at nscac.ca. If you are not yet a member, join the NSCAC now and then fill out the clinic registration at nscac.ca. Soccer Awareness joins growing list of NSCAC Partners with new member incentive Soccer Awareness, an online training tool and resource for soccer coaches, is the latest NSCAC Partner to offer our members a significant discount on specialty products. Soccer Awareness has extended to NSCAC members an exclusive 25% discount offer on the many eBooks available for purchase online at soccerawareness.com.
Owned by NSCAA Staff Coach Education Instructor Wayne Harrison, Soccer Awareness offers soccer coaches a multitude of resources from e-books to training programs to consulting services. Soccer Awareness encourages the development of the “thinking process” with an emphasis on empowering players to self determine their movement on the field, resulting in greater soccer intelligence, confidence and success. NSCAC member coaches will receive a special promo code that can be applied towards their purchase of eBooks. Join the NSCAC now to take advantage of this and many other unique member discounts and benefits. Information on eBooks offered by Soccer Awareness is available at soccerawareness.com. Contribute to the Journal
The Fall issue of the NSCAC's official publication, The Journal for Soccer Coaches, is planned for release in September and, with that in mind, we invite soccer coaches across the country to submit their articles, session plans, training tips and all other contributions to the Journal’s Managing Editor, Alf De Blasis, at alfdeblasis@gmail.com. If you would like to inquire about advertising in the next issue, please contact the NSCAC’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Alf De Blasis, at alfdeblasis@gmail.com. Name this Newsletter and win a prize!
Finally, we’d like to remind you to take part in our “Name the Newsletter” Contest. We want the Canadian soccer coaching community to be an active participant in all our member correspondence so we’re giving you the opportunity to name this newsletter. Send us as many titles as you can think of as often as you like and we’ll narrow it down to the three most popular choices and give you a chance to determine the winner through an online poll. The contributor of the winning name will receive a special NSCAC prize package! Only registered NSCAC members are eligible for the prize. Please submit your names to Alf De Blasis at alfdeblasis@gmail.com and please add “NSCAC Newsletter Contest” to the subject line. Good Luck!
About the NSCAC
The National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada is a member-based organization designed to provide soccer coaches across Canada with educational opportunities, services, benefits and a collective voice.
The NSCAC's vision is to strive to become the most authoritative and representative organization for soccer coaches across Canada, with a mandate to support and promote their collective efforts.
