Manitoba Soccer Association – Winnipeg, Manitoba – The Manitoba Soccer Association (MSA) continues to offer programs, festivals and camps to rural regions to help develop all players and coaches at the grass roots level, which in turn helps keep them sustainable for the long term.

One well established program that has continued to grow in Manitoba are the MSA Grassroots Festivals. These festivals are held in different communities across the province throughout the year. In 2017 they were held in Steinbach, Stonewall and Winnipeg; which included MSA’s first Futsal Festival, with participants representing all regions of Manitoba. These festivals were originally designed to provide players throughout Manitoba with an opportunity to showcase themselves for the Manitoba Games, and the events continue to be successful offering development opportunities for all players, coaches and officials. Upcoming Grassroots Festival have already been scheduled for 2018 in Selkirk, Dauphin and Steinbach.

The festivals also provide an identification platform for players and coaches looking to progress to the next level. The MSA Pre-Prospects Program, a program offered to U10 to U12 boys and girls, currently has players from five different regions of Manitoba participating. 

The MSA also offered Vancouver Whitecaps Camps in Brandon and Selkirk in the summer of 2017. These camps provide an opportunity for participants to experience the Whitecaps professional training methods led by a Whitecaps FC head coach. Players received high quality coaching in a fun and competitive environment. 

One of the keys to implementing successful programming is developing quality coaches who can help deliver the sport across the province. Coach mentorship and educational programs have been developed and implemented throughout Manitoba, which has led to an increased number of coaches with C-License and B-Part 1 coaching licenses. Continuing to educate these coaches will lead to a higher coach retention rate and a greater number of players being developed in each region of Manitoba. 2018 will see festivals put on by the MSA in various rural areas across the province, all having coaching course aspects include in the weekend event. 

Manitoba Soccer Association Regional Grassroots Manager, Scott Ansell commented, “We are excited for the upcoming season as we look to continue growing and developing the game throughout the Province. Through our grassroots festivals, and community outreach program our goal for the season is to impact as many coaches, players and parents as possible in every Region of the Province. We will continue to support soccer programs that provide safe, quality environments for our Newcomer, and Inner-City populations as well as Manitoba’s first Power Wheelchair Soccer Program. I would like to thank every volunteer that supports Manitoba’s soccer programs, your hard work and dedication is invaluable to our continued success.”

 For more information please contact the Manitoba Soccer Association at (204) 594-5809 or visit the website at www.manitobasoccer.ca.