The YYC Food Trucks will be at WIllow Ridge today from 4-8
![WRC-Soccer-Logo-1000[1]](https://mywillowridge.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/WRC-Soccer-Logo-10001-200x223.png "WRC-Soccer-Logo-1000[1]"){kind=logo}
Rich played soccer for a number of years for the Foothills organization way back in the day. He was mostly a midfielder/striker. He also played for his High School team, Henry Wise Wood in his final year of school, where they made it to the City Semi-finals. Rich was born in Leeds, England, and moved here at a young age and has spent the majority of his life in Calgary. He has coached soccer for almost 20 years. After beginning his coaching with grassroots players for a local community club, he moved to Willow Ridge and coached his son Braedon there for a number of years. Eventually Rich and Braedon moved on to Southwest United and coached a boys Tier 2 team for a number of years. At one point he was coaching his sons’ team and his daughter Chloe’s Tier 3 team at the same time. He has led his teams to the Provincial final a number of times, winning gold with the girls and silver twice with the boys. His teams won a number of other tournaments over the years and he found a lot of success in developing players. Some of his highlights would be leading the girls team to a tournament win in a Tier 2/3 tournament, when the girls were in Tier 4, leading his boys to a tournament win against a Tier 1 Edmonton team when the boys were in Tier 2, and all his other provincial experiences. But if you asked him what the real highlight was, he would say not only influencing his athletes to be better soccer players, but better human beings. Rich strongly believes that coaches have a duty to influence their players in all aspects of their lives, leaving a lasting impression on those he teaches. He is very excited to be able to provide this same approach to the children at Willow Ridge this season and looks forward to serving the community with his team.
Jane has played soccer at a high level in both the Calgary Minor Soccer Association and in the Women’s league in Calgary. She is a versatile player who can play in many positions and has what you would call a telepathic connection with her sister Claire on the field. Jane is a very good passer of the ball, with excellent vision of what is going on around her. She has always known where the ball should go next.
One of her favorite soccer memories is when her team won the gold at provincials. She had been to the provincial tournament many times before, but the big prize had eluded her. Jane recalls teamwork and hard work as being the catalysts for finally getting her team over the line. Her lasting memory of that day was that “hard work and dedication to the sport can lead to wonderful friendships, important life skills, and long-lasting memories.”
Jane can’t wait to get going with the training of the Willow Ridge players.
Claire has played at a high level of soccer for some time. She has played in both the CMSA league and in the Calgary women’s league. Claire is what you would call an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal and a good passer of the ball. She has the same telepathic connection with her sister Jane when they play together on the field.
One of her favorite memories was her first year playing indoor soccer. The experience of being at the Calgary Soccer Centre made her feel she was a real soccer player for the first time. She loved the changing rooms, the stands for the crowds, and the team benches. While she had been playing soccer for some time, her first taste of the indoor soccer experience really got her excited for the game, and it is still a very vivid memory of her playing days.
She is excited to be working with the young players and parents this season.
Cassidy has mostly played in the midfield position during her playing career in minor and women’s soccer, but she is a very versatile player who can fill in at numerous other positions if you need it. Her main strength was the accuracy of her passing and her commitment to tackling and getting the ball back. When she missed a pass you were surprised. She was always good at free kicks and taking penalties when needed and contributed with a number of goals from the midfield position. She is also a good leader and positive person.
Cassidy’s best memory of soccer is when her team played in a Tier 2/3 tournament in Okotoks when her team was in Tier 4. A lot of the other teams were complaining about the competitiveness of the tournament if they allowed this team in it. Cassie’s team won and surprised everyone. As she put it, “That was a good day.”
Cassidy was one of the team captains for a long time and she is ready to show that leadership with the Willow Ridge kids.
Camryn was a very competitive soccer player who had a real eye for goal. She was almost always the top scorer on her teams and did not shy away from any physical play. Often she was a focus for other teams not only because she put up good numbers, but because she was so tenacious in doing so.
One year she decided she was going to do all she could to contribute to her team winning provincials, so she went out and scored 11 goals in four games. That year she put the insurance goal in the net to secure the game late on. Despite her tenacity and take-no-prisoner attitude, she is someone that cares for others and always talks up her teammates if she feels they need it. Camryn loved the camaraderie of spending time with her teammates and as such, her favorite memories of soccer surround time away at tournaments. She loved to hang out with the team at hotels and get to know everyone better. It has left her with lasting memories.
Camryn will be fun for the kids to get to know, and she is looking forward to the season.
Kiara played for a number of seasons for her Renegades team and was a very competitive and feisty character. For some reason, prior coaches played her in defense, but her best positions were as a winger/forward in outdoor and indoor. Kiara scored a bunch of key goals in various games and in one of her first games for the Renegades scored a hat trick. No matter how big the competition was, Kiara would get in there and battle for the ball. Her quick movement after passing the ball was a great asset in giving her space to make the next play.
Kiara’s favorite soccer memory was winning the U16 indoor provincials in minor soccer, and every tournament in general. “The excitement of every game and knowing what was at stake made all of the girls on the team so much closer and made me love playing. The intensity of each game brought out every girl’s best skills and it was amazing to see what we had accomplished by the end of each tournament as a team.”
Kiara will be a great asset to the young kids of Willow Ridge Soccer.
Braedon played at a high level of soccer for most of his minor league career, and is a Willow Ridge alumnus. Both Braedon and his coach/father Rich started at Willow Ridge. Braedon played in provincials almost every year, played in two finals, and won many tournaments along the way. He has also represented Canada in a 7 a side tournament in Cost Rica.
Braedon is a very fast runner with and without the ball and his best position was as a winger. He also played almost every other position at one time or another. Braedon was a great free-kick taker and passer of the ball and contributed his fair share of goals. One of his crosses from the left wing allowed one of his teammates to head in the winning goal to get his beloved Milan team into Provincials in his final minor league season.
But his favorite memory of that year was being asked to man-mark the other team’s best player in a game that would get us in to the final. He was the only one fast enough to do it, and when his team won the game, his commitment to the task was not lost on his teammates. They knew his effort in that game greatly helped them get to the provincial final.
Braedon loves soccer and will love helping coach your kids.
“Captain” Ross Kearns is a colossal defender, leader, and overall good human being. To this day he still calls his coach, “coach.” As you can tell from his nickname he is a great leader and knows the game inside out. Most people associate defenders with being defensive, and while that is their primary responsibility, Ross more than contributed on the offensive side of things. For the longest time he was the primary free-kick taker on his teams and scored a number of goals from those free-kicks. He is also very proficient at scoring from penalty shots.
While Ross was a fierce competitor on the field and was not afraid of any situation, he has a fantastic sense of humor that helped keep his teammates loose and calm in what would otherwise be tense situations. Tournaments were never boring with Ross around and he won his fair share of them. Ross is an alumnus of Willow Ridge and played soccer at the community for a number of years. One of his favorite memories is when he was playing against an Edmonton team that were less than sportsmanlike. So when he scored against them, he was very happy. Ross always liked competing against our rivals and also enjoyed beating a Tier 1 team from there one season.
It is great that Ross is returning to Willow Ridge.
Scotty, like his brother Ross, has played at a high level of soccer for a number of years. He is also an alumnus of Willow Ridge.
During his years of minor soccer he played midfield and central defense. Scotty was very adept with his ballhandling and had a tenacity and fearlessness in going after the ball in every situation. He also had a really good shot which was utilized often. By all accounts he was a well-loved and respected teammate and was able to work well with all of his teammates. As a result he was a favorite on the team and looked up to as a leader. Many of his teammates ended up being good friends.
Scotty is excited to work with your children this coming season.
Emily is a very speedy individual with a fearlessness in the tackle. Her main position in minor soccer through the years has been defense, and it is in that position that she has caught the eye. Particularly because no player can run away from her even if they get behind her on the field. Emily is not all defense however, as she once scored a goal from the half line in indoor soccer.
Everyone that meets Emily will genuinely say that she is a great person, who cares about the well being of everyone on the team. Her support for her teammates and her coaches has always been unwavering, which made her a leader on the team. She could also play for very long stretches without tiring, which was invaluable in positions like defense and midfield, where she also played. Her greatest memories are playing in provincials with her teammates and the success that she enjoyed there.
Emily is looking forward to being on the training/coaching end of the game for once and will be an asset to the Willow Ridge program.
In Minor Soccer Grace battled hard on the field and played at a high level most of her career. While she had played defense earlier in her minor soccer years, she was more than proficient at being able to put the ball into the net. She worked well as a forward or in an attacking midfield position. Grace’s movement off the ball and good shot made her a valuable addition to any team. She was part of a Provincial winning team a couple of years back but was unable to play in the tournament after suffering a torn ACL earlier in the season. However Grace showed her determination and tenacity in fighting back and working hard to get back on the field after she had recovered. This hard work and never giving up personifies her as a player and person. Some of her greatest memories of soccer is playing in tournaments. As Grace puts it, “I Always had fun getting to know my team better off the field and out of soccer gear! Getting to know the girls out of a soccer environment really created a bond that transferred into our game, not only making our team better but also made playing really fun.” Grace looks forward to volunteering at Willow Ridge Soccer this spring.
Chloe has played soccer since she was about 11 years old. She played with a core group of teammates for many years, including some of the other trainers that will be helping out with the Willow Ridge kids this season. Chloe was very good at surveying the field, knowing where her teammates were, and making quick decisions to get the ball to them. She was always near the top in passing statistics which speaks to her talent of having a vision of the entire scenario around her. Chloe also chipped in with goals, and many times they were the kind where she volleys it in with her first touch. Her favorite memory in soccer is winning provincials with her revered Renegades team and all the other tournaments she won with that team over the years. They are memories that have stuck with her since her minor playing days and into women’s soccer and will be cherished for years to come. Chloe is looking forward to getting back on the field, being back with some of her teammates, and working with the Willow Ridge players.
Ethan played soccer for a number of years. His best position was as a striker and he played in this position for the majority of his time in minor soccer. Ethan has a good burst and is a very fast runner on the field, which likely helped him score a lot of goals over the years. While there were many highlights during the time he played soccer, the one that stands out most to him was scoring 13 goals in one half years ago. The final score likely was scary for the other team. Ethan is originally from Ontario and moved out here a few years ago and is enjoying his time in Alberta. He was excited to learn about the opportunity to help teach young kids the game that he loves, and he is excited to get started at Willow Ridge.
Luca has been playing soccer his entire life, beginning in Seattle where he was born. Initially he started as a goalkeeper but eventually ended up much farther up the field as a striker. He enjoyed the traveling life of a tier 1 player, making appearances in places like Phoenix and even his hometown of Seattle. As part of his soccer career he was able to play in a number of provincial finals in which he won a gold, silver, and bronze. His favorite soccer memory from those provincial finals is when they won the bronze in the indoor competition. The game went to penalties and each team had gone through 13 penalty shots each. He was up for the 14th for his team and his goal was the winning penalty to earn them the bronze that year. This has been a lasting memory for him and an example of the joy the game has brought him. Luca has been involved in grassroots training/coaching before and looks forward to helping again this season.
Our vision is to be an integrated community connecting partners, family, neighbours, and nature.
Land acknowledgement: In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honour and acknowledge that we live, play and work upon the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
680 Acadia Drive SE
Calgary, Alberta T2J 0C1
Email: info@mywillowridge.ca
Phone: (403) 271-8044
Fax: (403) 278-3718
Feel free to ask the coach about any questions or concerns you may have about the upcoming soccer season.
