‘Dreaming big is encouraged’
Life lessons follow Valley United soccer players off of the pitch
An Annapolis Valley soccer program's goal for developing players has a lot to do with developing quality individuals.
Angela Morrison is the technical director of Valley United Soccer Club, which has more than 1,000 players participating in both recreational and competitive soccer from Yarmouth to Mount Uniacke. The players range in age from under four to over 18.
Morrison said several Valley United players would advance to play university soccer this year.
More than 60 former players have gone on to play at that level during the past 10 years.
She said some players had received All-Conference, All-Canadian, All-American recognition. Some have received national team tryouts and professional playing contracts.
“That's pretty great odds for what has been numerically the smallest Tier 1 club in the province,” Morrison said.
Morrison said Valley United encourages athletes to develop skills that foster success on and off the field.
QUALITY PEOPLE
“A hard worker is a hard worker,” Morrison said.
“If you have a person that is cutting corners in their training, and always looking for the easy way that translates into the way they live their life off the field as well. That's a big part of the reason parents put their kids in sports. Everybody wants to win. But you also want to develop quality people.
“On the field, as in life, things don't always go your way,” Morrison said. “You can take ownership and ask yourself what you can do to get better and succeed. When you have that mentality as an athlete, at the end of the day, those are the people who are going to be successful in life as well.”
Coleman Hooper is one example of how success on the field can be carried over into life off the field.
Hooper began playing in the Valley United program at age 13 before advancing to top-level Under 18 play and a stint with the Nova Scotia Canada Games Team. That was followed by two years with Acadia University's soccer program.
Hooper left Acadia early
Coleman Hooper has played for Acadia University, Valley United Soccer Club and a Canada Games team. He played for Acadia University for two years before changing course to study electrical engineering at Harvard University. to begin studying electrical engineering at Harvard University.
“The game of soccer is very important to me. But it's also important that you learn to conduct yourself in a way that will carry on and impact other areas in your life possibly. I think the club reflects that in how they operate," Hooper said.
“My experience playing with Valley United has been incredibly positive. I made many friends growing up, and it provided me with a good opportunity to develop as a player, and it also showed me the value of hard work. It taught me a lot of important values around discipline, dedication and time management.”
Hooper returned to Wolfville during the
COVID-19 pandemic and is working remotely as a digital design engineer for a Quebec firm before resuming his studies at Harvard.
Hooper is a forward for a Valley United senior men's team this year. He is also one of the coaches for the club's highly competitive Under 17 AAA team. He began coaching at age 16.
“Because soccer has been such a positive experience in my life and I enjoyed it so much growing up, I have always looked at coaching as a means of giving back to younger athletes,” he said.
“Soccer, or sport in general, can be a vehicle to go beyond what your current reality is,” Morrison said. “At Valley United, dreaming big is encouraged, but so is hard work.”