FeedsGreat Scots!
Celtics coach soccer camp
A tall man in a green shirt barked orders as participants and coaches of the Canton Soccer Club camp gathered on the hill at Independence Park in Canton Township.
“I can’t understand a word of what you are saying,” yelled one of the young participants as he plopped to the ground among the hundreds of other players for the group photo.
The youngster and the man both smiled about the remark, but the player was partially serious. It wasn’t a typical Canton coach he spoke to, but a burly green-clad Scotsman with a very thick accent…who was hard to understand.
Last week, 13 players from the Celtic Football Club—a professional football team based in Scotland—crossed the Pond (the Atlantic Ocean) and invaded the Canton Soccer Club camp to help train club players of all ages.
The incident sparked a series of smiles and laughs from other members and coaches.
“You’d think you’d be used to it by now,” said the man.
That’s how the week went for the participants: for the most part, fun.
“They’ve been great,” said 12-year-old Meg Riley of her visiting coaches. “We’ve had a lot of fun but it’s been a lot of hard work, too. But that’s what makes us winners. I’ve learned a lot from them.”
The Celtic group, which was established in 1888 and has a fan base of about 9 million worldwide, took over the camp and taught soccer fundamentals, played games and directed scrimmages for the Canton Club. The camp was actually a spin-off of the Celtic Football Club’s largely successful community program in Scotland.
“We wanted to come and showcase what the club is all about,” said Graeme Mathie, a member of the Celtic Football Club. “It’s a fantastic club to work for and a fantastic club to be a part of and we’re here to just really give the kids of Canton a different experience, a different style of play and hopefully get them involved and see what Celtic football is all about.”
It was a busy week preparing for the camp, catering to the out-of-town guests and battling the sweltering temperatures, but Canton Soccer Club Director Pete Alexander said it was worth the process that actually started in January.
“Everyone has been so excited for this week,” he said. “(The Celtic players) have been great. They’re trying to show the kids a different type of game and a different type of philosophy and making it a good experience for them. The kids are having fun but they’ve learned a lot, too.”
Another goal, he said, would be to set up a partnership or an affiliation with the Celtic Football Club. That would afford the opportunity for players, coaches and trainers to go to Scotland for even more experience.
If that opportunity ever comes up, Helen Riley said she would have no qualms about letting her daughter Meg participate.
“We have roots back in Scotland and Ireland and were in Edinburgh last summer and (Meg) loved it,” she said. “You bet I’d let her go. Any connection that brings her a larger world is a wonderful thing.”
Mathie hopes he and the rest of the crew get invited back to Canton.
“We’ve been looked after,” he said. “All of the guys and the parents as well have been excellent and we couldn’t have asked for anything better.
“We committed to being here and we’re committed to doing a good job and hopefully the feedback has been good for all of us so we can come back and do some more things in the future.”
