VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that the club’s Island Academy Centre has expanded to include a Victoria Prospects Academy, in partnership with the Lower Island Soccer Association (LISA) and Vancouver Island Wave. The Victoria-based Lower Island programs will link with Whitecaps FC’s existing Nanaimo-based Upper Island programs.
“We’re really happy to be able to extend our network on the Island as part of a partnership with LISA and the Wave,” said Whitecaps FC director of soccer development Dan Lenarduzzi. “We’re looking forward to working closely with LISA head coach and Wave technical director Andrew Latham so that our Island Academy and Victoria Prospects program will be integrated with the Wave program to further solidify the player pathway on the Island. We will also add support to the Learn 2 Train (L2T) Centre that has been established in Victoria to prepare players who aspire to play at the highest level. We also look forward to working together with LISA on growing the game on the Island and in the various communities.”
LISA is the umbrella organization that provides administrative services to 10 youth soccer clubs and over 7,700 players on the Lower Island. LISA also administers the elite teams competing in inter-district competition and the Vancouver Island Wave who are one of eight franchises competing in the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL). For more information on LISA and the Wave, please visit http://www.lowerislandsoccer.com.
“This partnership with Whitecaps FC is another step forward for LISA and the Wave in providing more opportunities for players, and to continue to grow the game on the Island,” said LISA executive director Karen Hood-Deshon.
“By assisting Vancouver Island Wave in providing a third technical session for the BCSPL franchise, this will ultimately improve the BCSPL players within this program,” said BC Soccer director of soccer development Chris Cerroni.
Whitecaps FC also announced that Neil Sedgwick has joined the club as Island head coach and will oversee the Victoria Prospects Academy.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to bring Neil Sedgwick on board as our Island head coach, heading up the Victoria Academy,” added Lenarduzzi.
Sedgwick holds a Canadian Soccer Association and USSF 'A' Licence. After spending 11 years coaching in the NCAA Division I and Division II, Sedgwick returned to Victoria and is a mainstay in technical development on the Island. He was previously part of the CSA national women's team staff and was head coach/director of the Upper Island Regional Soccer Centre based out of Nanaimo for two years. He also served as director of development for Victoria Highlanders FC for three and a half years before co-founding EPIC, a soccer services organization on the Island that provides development programs, with Wes Barrett and Corey Volk. Sedgwick currently also coaches with Vancouver Island Wave.
Sedgwick will continue as Director of Youth Development for EPIC in conjunction with his duties heading the Whitecaps FC Victoria Prospects Academy.
The Victoria Prospects Academy will be by invite only. Sedgwick will work closely with Latham on a schedule to provide additional training to select Wave players, as well as a training program integrated with L2T, a cooperative program between LISA and EPIC. More information will be available soon at whitecapsfc.com/island.
Whitecaps FC will hold Prospects Camps as evaluations for fall programming that will be open to current Vancouver Island Wave players and all other motivated and advanced players from U-9 to U-16. The Victoria Prospects camp will run from July 27 to 29 at Braefoot Fields.
Whitecaps FC are also partnering with EPIC on a Western Canada College Identification Camp for motivated players from U-14 to U-18. The camp will run from July 19 to 24 at Shawnigan Lake School.
For more information on Whitecaps FC Academy Centre and camp programs on the Island visit whitecapsfc.com/island.
