OkotoksOnline/ScottSavard
Cavalry FC is inviting young soccer players to ATCO Field this weekend as part of its annual Minor Soccer Day celebration.
The club is hosting a match against York United, with the event set to include giveaways, live music and family-friendly activities.
As part of the day, Cavalry has partnered with Team Town Sports to give away 1,000 soccer balls.
The goal is to show how perseverance and commitment can lead to real results for young athletes.
"For us, it's about community, and ensuring that, if you can see it, you can be it," said assistant coach and technical director Jay Wheeldon. "These youth players, what we want for them is to see players that have been in the Calgary Minor Soccer environment playing for Calgary and potentially try and get there."
There's no shortage of examples, said Wheeldon.
"There are so many local examples that played massive minutes, such as your Marco Carduccis of the world, that pretty much played every minute of the season... We've got Brad Kamden, he was at Chinooks, he's one of our more experienced players that had to leave for eight or nine years to play professional football. He's now returned home and again is somebody that works within the community."
Wheeldon said he’s proud of how far the local pro soccer scene has come in recent years, with benefits for both fans and players.
"What's good now is, you know, you've got ourselves and you've got the Wild that just started to get up and running in terms of their season and franchise. But we are still a young franchise, but we're blessed with a great ownership group, some great leaders involved in the club that have set up a fantastic environment, even as a fan. I was a fan one year that I wasn't a player, I wasn't a coach. I came to just watch the games and the experience for a fan is brilliant. That's what we want to have for these young up-and-coming players is to give them those platforms to see live games."
Wheeldon hopes the day inspires the next generation by connecting young players with the local professional game.
"We're hoping that this game on Sunday, in four or five years time, we have the same sort of stories where they were part of the CMSA Day, and they're now playing for Calgary. "
More information about the event can be seen on the Cavalry FC Facebook page.