VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) announced on Tuesday the addition of three head coaches at the club’s Calgary and Edmonton BMO Academy Centres.
The funded programs are part of an expanded partnership with Alberta Soccer and provide a direct link to Vancouver with the full-time Whitecaps FC Boys MLS Academy and the Girls Elite Regional Excel (REX) Super Centre program. To read more about the programs, visit whitecapsfc.com/news/wfc-albertasoccer.
Ewan Fisher will continue leading the Whitecaps FC Boys MLS Prospects program in Calgary and will expand his role to oversee the new expansion in Alberta.
Katie Collar joins the Calgary BMO Academy Centre as girls head coach and will lead the Calgary Girls Elite REX Prospects program. Additionally, she will work alongside Fisher in the club’s Whitecaps FC BMO Academy Centres in Southern Alberta.
Collar, a former NCAA Division I player, is in the process of completing her Canada Soccer A License. She joins the club from Calgary Foothills where she recently held the position of Development Phase girls manager and assistant coach of the club’s Pro-Amateur women’s franchise. She was also the assistant coach of the University of Calgary Dino’s varsity women’s team and previously worked in Nova Scotia’s REX program as an assistant coach. She was recently named Alberta’s Canada Summer Games head coach for 2022. Find more about Collar HERE.
Kristyn Shapka joins the club as WFC Edmonton BMO Academy girls head coach, where she will lead the Girls Elite REX Prospects program. The Edmonton native is the current University of Alberta Pandas Soccer head coach and has experience coaching in the Alberta provincial and REX programs. She played NCAA Division I at the University of Montana and University of Hawaii and was part of Alberta Soccer’s Provincial and Canada Games programs as a player. Read more about Shapka HERE.
“We are very excited to have Katie and Kristyn joining our team of coaches,” said Emma Humphries, Whitecaps FC director of women’s football development. “Katie is a passionate, strong leader and I am really excited to see her take on this new role in developing the best players from Calgary. Kristyn brings with her exceptional knowledge of the Edmonton player base and is very passionate about providing these opportunities for the best players in Edmonton. Both Katie and Kristyn have experience in the Regional Excel systems as well as an understanding of the high potential players in Alberta which will help them lead the next generation coming through.”
Nather Jarrar joins the club as WFC Edmonton BMO Academy boys head coach, where he will lead the Boys MLS Prospects program. Jarrar is a former professional player from Jordan where he played for clubs Al-Wehdat and Al-Ahli. He also played varsity soccer at Concordia University Stingers and semi-pro at Lakeshore Utd in Montreal. Jarrar holds a UEFA A license and has experience coaching at Villareal CF’s professional academy in Spain, as well as coaching in the Jordanian Pro League and semi-pro league in Quebec. Read more about Jarrar HERE.
“We are thrilled to have Nather leading our boys program in Edmonton,” said Mike Ayyash, Whitecaps FC BMO Academy Centres director. “We know Edmonton is a hotbed of talent and Nather is the ideal coach to work with the top players and help move them to the next level. We are very excited to see this program grow and provide opportunities for those boys to be challenged and exposed to top-level coaching and competition.”
All Alberta programs began their Fall season in October and will run in two phases – October to December, and January to April – allowing players to train and play in league games with their member clubs. The program includes weekly training and competition and access to high level Whitecaps FC club combines, events, and competitions.
For further information about Alberta Soccer, visit the official website at albertasoccer.com, and for information on the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy System, visit whitecapsfc.com/academy.
