Three 13-year-old Weyburn Soccer players, Ranson Jordens, Lexington Roy, and Ethan Thiedig, have earned an invitation to train at the prestigious Real Madrid Academy in Spain next May. This opportunity places these young athletes in the company of some of the world's most promising soccer talent and is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the quality of training provided by the Weyburn Soccer Club.
Rob Jordens, Coach for the development team in the Weyburn Soccer Association, is also one of the co-organizers for the 'Road to Real Madrid', a fundraising campaign designed to raise funds to send the three young athletes to Madrid from May 24th to 31st, 2025.
Jordens said the program is designed to be enjoyable for the athletes, but it also involves daily training sessions with a couple of different organizations.
"They do throw in some sightseeing opportunities. The boys do get to spend some time at the stadium, so they're very excited about that, but they're really there to train, improve their skills, enhance their passion for the sport, and keep them along this road to skill development."
He said the boys are 'incredibly excited to be going', as this clinic includes athletes comparable to 'the Yankees of the soccer world'. The Real Madrid CF team has the most Championship titles (15) and the most La Liga titles (36). It was the team that Cristiano Ronaldo played on and still has the biggest stars in soccer such as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
"All of these [Weyburn] boys have come through the ranks of the Weyburn Soccer Association. They've all played since basically four or five years old," Jordens noted. "They've excelled as they've come through the development of our competitive stream as well. So they're heavily into soccer. They're passionate about it."
Each of the boys have dreams of playing professional soccer, he shared, "so this is a great step for them, and then to be able to see what that looks like on the world stage."
Achieving the trip much like these boys, last year, Weyburn's Gabriella Freisen was selected to train in Spain, and she went last spring.
"Our boys attended a Real Madrid Foundation Camp in Edmonton this past August, and based on their work ethic, their skill level, and basically embodying the values of the foundation, they were selected from the rest of the athletes to attend this clinic in Spain," Jordens explained.
"It really shows, I think, the value and the quality of our program here in Weyburn. Our coaches, and just the passion of our players, it's quite phenomenal."
He said while the trip increases the boys' excitement for the sport, compelling them to try even harder and do even better, the boys shared with Jordens that they hope to inspire others upon their return.
"They mentioned how it will help their leadership within their own club and maybe help their teammates in working with them and pushing their teammates harder to do the same thing, and maybe making other athletes - or other maybe non-athletes who want to try soccer - and can see what can happen when you put everything into something and the opportunities that are out there, they were really excited about that and showing other kids that this can happen."
Jordens said this kind of accomplishment will 'put Weyburn on the global map'.
Ranson, Lexington, and Ethan excelled on the Division 1 team Forge FC this past year, and, most recently, Ranson and Lexington brought home Bronze medals from the Saskatchewan Summer Games after Team Southeast beat out Regina.
"There's been a lot of great exposure for the Weyburn Soccer Association, which exposes Weyburn, and we have a fantastic facility. So it really helps with local athletes and with the local community."
The costs associated with attending the Real Madrid Academy are significant. Travel, accommodation, and participation fees add up quickly, and the families of these players are seeking community support to make this dream a reality. The total cost for the three players and chaperones to attend the camp is estimated at $30,000.
"We're looking for as much community support as we can get, and we've already started getting it," Jordens said. "We're really thankful for you know everything we've got."
"We have a Give Send Go campaign that we've started, it's the Road to Real Madrid, so that allows for contributions through that avenue," Jordens explained. "If someone wanted to write a check or cash, I mean we've set up a fundraising account for our organization, so that's fine too. Just make cheques out to the Road to Real Madrid."
Donations can be made directly by contacting Rob Jordens at (306) 891-5146, emailing road.realmadrid@gmail.com, or visiting 'Road to Real Madrid' page on Facebook. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings these players one step closer to representing Weyburn on an international stage.
Jordens said they'll continue updating the Facebook page over the eight months leading up to the trip. They'll also highlight their sponsors.
"We are looking for a lead sponsor, maybe that special organization who wants to brand with us," he invited. "We're looking potentially at rebranding as a Road to Real Madrid, sponsored by your corporation. So we're looking at something like that for major sponsors, but any donation, any level of sponsorship is welcomed. We're very thankful for that."
"The boys are so excited and so thankful for all the all the support and all of the 'congratulations'."
Hear the full audio from Jordens below.
