VANCOUVER, BC
– Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Thompson Okanagan FC (TOFC) announced today that they are forming a partnership for the benefit of soccer development in the Thompson Okanagan region.
Whitecaps FC will support the partnership by providing David Broadhurst, head coach of the Whitecaps FC Okanagan Academy Centre, as the TOFC technical advisor. As part of this advisory role, Broadhurst will work with and support newly appointed TOFC technical director Jason Thompson.
Both organizations will also work together to communicate and synergize programs and schedules for both the TOFC program and the Whitecaps FC Prospects Academy Centre programs.
This is another important step in the evolvement of TOFC in the Thompson Okanagan region, said newly appointed TOFC chair Brian Dewar. While we have had our growing pains in establishing the franchise in the region, we continue to look forward and we are growing. We recently took an important step to restructure our board for full regional representation, and now combined with the partnership with Whitecaps FC we are ready to take the club to the next level. We believe there will be benefits and more opportunities for players and coaches and ultimately the whole region.
David has been an important part of establishing our Academy Centre and relationships in the Okanagan,” added Whitecaps FC director of soccer development Dan Lenarduzzi. It now seems a perfect fit that David and Whitecaps FC can provide resources to help TOFC grow and establish its program in the region. We look forward to working together.
As part of the partnership, Broadhurst will provide support to TOFC through curriculum, session planning, technical policies and club structure and philosophy. This will also include periodic staff coach development sessions and player session oversight. As part of the synergies of the partnership, Thompson will become more actively involved with Broadhurst as an assistant with Whitecaps FC Okanagan Academy Centre programming.
We hope to integrate our club resources into TOFC planning, noted Broadhurst. This means tying in visits from Vancouver staff to our Okanagan centre and extending these to include interaction with TOFC coaches and players. We also want to make sure that Jason is connected to our club by visits to work with our Vancouver staff and players.
Thompson Okanagan Football Club is the only interior regional representative in the eight-team EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL), the highest level of youth soccer within the province. It is supported by both BC Soccer and Vancouver Whitecaps FC as a pathway for higher level players.
The Whitecaps FC Okanagan Academy Centre is part of network of regional Whitecaps FC training hubs linked through key staff, curriculum, and standards that provide professional supplemental training for serious, motivated players. Other current Academy Centres are located in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Kamloops, the Kootenays and Saskatchewan.
For more information on TOFC visit tofc.ca or contact Brian Dewar at tofcmanager@gmail.com. For more information on the Whitecaps FC Okanagan Academy centre visit whitecapsfc/okanagan or contact David Broadhurst at dbroadhurst@whitecapsfc.com or 250.550.5489.
