Football Canada unveils new U16 competitions

Lethbridge, AB and Wolfville, NS to host inaugural U16 regionals

For the first time this summer Wolfville, Nova Scotia and Lethbridge, Alberta will respectively host Football Canada’s inaugural Under-16 East and West Challenges. The tackle football events take place in July 2017 and are being organized in partnership with Football Nova Scotia and Football Alberta.

It will be a busy summer in Wolfville as the under-18 national tackle football championship, the Football Canada Cup, is also being held at Raymond Field from July 8-14. The west regional will be a chance for Alberta to prepare to host the Canada Cup in 2018.

U16 Regional Schedule

Quotes:

“Alberta is thrilled to host the first ever U16 western regional. As host of the first ever Football Canada Cup in 1993, we are proud to help Football Canada kick off new initiatives like this that only help our sport. This event also gives us a chance to spread the wealth in Alberta.  Many cities in our province were interested in hosting the Football Canada Cup in 2018 but we could only choose one.  The U16’s will allow another community – Lethbridge – to do their part in building our sport in 2017 before the focus goes to Calgary in 2018 for the Football Canada Cup.”

– Tim Enger, Associate Executive Director, Football Alberta

“Football Nova Scotia is proud to be hosting the first ever U16 East Challenge this July in Wolfville, Nova Scotia at Acadia University’s Raymond Field. We love the challenge of hosting the first east regional tournament of this caliber because it highlights our athletes as they compete against the best from other provinces. Hosting the Canada Cup the week before gives our younger group of players an opportunity to see what the next level of play looks like and what is required to move up. In addition, the tournament not only ensures that our players get an opportunity to improve their skills but also provides valuable experience for the coaches on our provincial staff that they can take back to their respective communities and continue to grow the sport.”

– Gary Linthorne, President, Football Nova Scotia

“We’re excited to introduce these two new under-16 competitions. They support the tremendous growth of football in Canada and help standardize the high-performance pathway for players as they move towards the Football Canada Cup and national team. The goal of these new U16 events is to support and provide resources in key areas of player development. Players will participate in various in-class sessions focusing on topics such as nutrition, strength and conditioning, as well as recruiting.”

– Shannon Donovan, Executive Director, Football Canada

“The creation of this tournament results from the sport’s competition review which identified a lack of standardized competition at this age group. There were parts of the country already running similar events, however, the process and hosting was not always consistent. These new events help introduce tournament-style football competition and preparation to under-16 athletes and coaches. It’s also a great way to promote regional competition and get the top players from across Canada playing against their peers from neighbouring provinces.”

– Aaron Geisler, Manager of Development, Football Canada