February NCFCA Clinic A Tremendous Success

The 2009 NCFCA Coaches Clinic was conducted on Saturday Feb 7th at Ashbury College. Many of the regions top football coaches spent the day discussing various elements of the game with a Clinic line up that included NFL, CIS and CEGEP staff.  Hands on, technical sessions, film sessions and open question and answer panels provided a unique opportunity for the areas coaches. This years session included the piloting of the new NCCP Football training in conjunction with Football Canada.

The keynote speaker included Steve Szabo who shared his experiences as a coach over 40 years, including 12 seasons in the NFL with teams including Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. Steve used his experience in major college football at schools like Colgate, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Toledo, Syracuse, Iowa State, Western Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa to focus on the finer point of defensive skill techniques, focus and player development. The coaches in attendance obtained insight into the thinking and teaching of this long time coach, who used a film session to reinforce and explain his coaching points and techniques. Full biographies are presented here.

The NCCP training session has provided 35 coaches with the technical background to become certified in Football. The introduction to Competition pilot sessions were not only educational and informative to the participants, this pilot session will help define the full program which will be rolled out Nationally in 2010. The partnership between NCFCA and Football Canada has allowed for this level of interaction and collaboration, for the good of the football community here in the Capital Region and across Canada.

U17 EASTERN ONTARIO ALL STAR COACHING STAFF

Some of the most capable and sound football minds in Eastern Canada were put together to lead the U17 Eastern Ontario All Star Team into the Football Canada Cup tournament in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. The result was a Gold Metal performance in the premier event coordinated by Football Canada for U17 Tackle football.

The outstanding coaching staff was put together by Lee Barette. Assistant coaches were temporarily seconded from some of the top CIS football programs in the country.

Lee’s staff consisted of Chris Coulson & Blaine Scatcherd of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gee's, Pat Tracey & Ryan Bechmanis of the Queen’s Golden Gales, Clint Uttley of the McGill Redmen, Danny Laramee of St Mary’s Husky’s, Jason Kana of McMaster Marauders and Richard Burey.

The coaching staff accumulated a team of the top 36, 15 and 16 year old football players from Eastern Ontario and provided them, not only with an outstanding opportunity to learn football at the highest level, but to understand what it takes to prepare for and win a national level competition.

NCFCA congratulates this outstanding group of coaches for their personal commitment and contributions to the football communities of eastern Ontario and Canada.