Football United Academy Plans to Develop Canadian Youth Talent for the Top Level
In our first interview to kick off 2021, we sat down with one of the founders of Football United Academy, Chidi Emenonye to discuss the academy’s mission to develop Canadian youth players for the top level, his candid opinions about football development in Canada and much more.
Coach Chidi giving instructions. Image Courtesy: Chidi Emenonye.
Q: Tell us about how Football United Academy got its start. What's the journey been like?
R: Football United Academy was born out of the closure of a previous academy known as Global Premier Soccer Canada. They were famous for their partnership with FC Bayern Munich of Germany. I was previously the Director of Coaching of the academy, but as the pandemic hit with, along other previous underlying issues following its change of ownership, Global Premier Soccer (GPS) shut down its entire operations. Given this development, I didn’t stay down, cry or feel hopeless about the situation. The idea of doing something different was already brewing between my friend and I. We already talked about joining forces to diversify and move away from GPS before the pandemic hit. So when the pandemic hit and GPS filed for bankruptcy, it sped up the birth of Football United Academy.
So far the journey has been more sour than sweet — from previous collaborators speaking badly about our efforts, to ex-players and families from the previous academy not really trusting us and what we’re trying to do. These issues arose mainly because I was new to Canada and also due to the pandemic, but we stay positive, working tirelessly to move forward. We’ve been able to make slow and steady progress in our work to provide remarkable support to the players that have trusted us with their development.
Image Courtesy: Football United Academy.
Q: What elements do you find missing when it comes to youth player development in Canada?
R: There are three parts to it. Players, coaches and the governing body. The first two go hand in hand while the governing bodies and government make up the third piece. Players are poorly developed. The fundamentals of the game are really missing for most of them. Generally, there’s a lack of proper coaching education too. Most of the coaches are not educated enough and aren't equipped with the necessary theoretical and practical skills for elite coaching. Governing bodies are just political entities and are more concerned about making money in the place of making high-level coaching education more accessible. The governing bodies also haven't done enough in terms of infrastructure, I’m referring to facilities where kids can play without restrictions. Most of the fields are privately owned, and the city or government owned ones need rigorous approval from the city before playing.
Q: How is your academy planning to fill those gaps? Tell us more about the programs you offer.
R: There’s a lot of division in football and player development in Canada. Everyone thinks that their program is the best and then discredits other organizations or teams. That's completely different from my experiences in Mexico and in the USA. I believe football is a game that unites people and from my experience coaching in Mexico and in the USA, football is all about uniting people and collaborating to achieve a common goal even though the teams compete against each other on the field. So the reason why we’re called Football United Academy is because we are united by the game. Our mission is to look for collaborations with teams, organizations, and clubs within and outside Canada in order to develop players that can compete at the highest level by helping them acquire foundational and fundamental life and soccer skills, develop as players and confidently move forward in their football journey to the highest possible level the individual player can achieve. We will accomplish this by working together as a team and having the passion and desire for our players to succeed.
Our programs cover development for grassroots, competitive and elite levels. We have the opportunity to provide exposure to international experiences, European training camps, tournaments and trials for the elite players. First, we want to make sure the basics are in order because some players have ambitions to play professionally but their foundations are very shaky.
Q: What's the blueprint for successfully developing our youth for the top level?
R: The blueprint starts with getting the fundamentals right. When players can’t consistently execute fundamental and basic skills of the game, it’ll be tough to make it no matter how good they are with the rest of the stuff. This can be made possible with a combination of easily accessible high-level coaching education and the government developing more infrastructure that will allow kids to play with freedom regardless of the time of the year. Imagine when grassroots teams can't afford a place to train during the indoor season how much more can players who aren’t registered with any academy find a place to play. There are a lot of limitations for players here because the infrastructure especially in winter.
The interest in watching the game isn't as encouraged as it is in other continents like Europe, Africa and South America. I remember Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) not cancelling games during the 2018 world cup final between France and Croatia. Players wanted to watch the final but they were made to go and play in local leagues while the final was live. It was one of the most annoying things to witness during my stay in Canada so far. You can't develop a deep interest in the game if you don't watch it regularly.
Coach Chidi setting the pace. Image Courtesy: Chidi Emenonye.
Q: The football landscape in Canada is changing with the creation of the Canadian Premier League. However, I think we still have a long way to go. In your opinion, what areas are we lacking and how can we catch up?
R: The question is how long can the league last? Will it die off like others that have come before it or will it sustain? How much are they willing to invest in the longevity of the league? Are they learning and implementing enough of what has worked in the U.S.? Can the players make enough to earn a living by playing as full-time professionals thereby inspiring the next generation to aspire to be like them? Are foreign investors allowed to invest like they do in other places? I think the U.S. is a perfect example of starting a league, sustaining it, and growing it in a country where soccer is not the national sport. Canada should do more.
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