toronto argonauts PLAYERS TO BE GUESTS AT Sackville Minor Football Association Spring Camp Sackville Minor Football Association (SMFA) is pleased to announce special guests for this year’s Spring Camp. Canadian Football League running back Andre Durie & defensive tackle Étienne Légaré (both of the Toronto Argonauts), and Coach Kelly Jeffrey (Mount Allison University) will participate with local certified coaches from Minor, High School, and University Football for the annual event.
SMFA spokesperson Ian McIntyre says, “We are excited about having professional players and coaches provide football skills programming for our young players in conjunction with local volunteers. For a small town, young players receive high calibre instruction much like you would find in a major city. It is one of those rare opportunities for kids to come face-to-face with professionals.” Upwards of seventy participants are expected. Commented Toronto Argonauts President & CEO, Bob Nicholson, “The Argonauts are committed to building the game of football throughout Canada and we’re thrilled to support Sackville Minor Football Association at this year’s spring camp. We’ll be making Moncton and its surrounding area our home for an entire week in September and starting immediately our goal is to become a part of the community. Fans can expect this to be the beginning of a powerful bond that we intend to build throughout the region through a variety of community and grassroots events over the coming months.”
DETAILS OF SMFA SPRING CAMP:
WHAT: Spring Football Camp
DATES: Friday, May 7 to Sunday, May 16
TIMES: Weekdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Weekends from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Tantramar Veterans’ Memorial Civic Centre and the Civic Centre field
WHO: RB Andre Durie (Toronto Argonauts) DT Étienne Légaré (Toronto Argonauts) Kelly Jeffrey (Head Football Coach, Mt. Allison University)
SMFA provides football skills programming for both boys and girls to learn and participate in a highly competitive and supportive environment. In the past seven years, the program has expanded from Pee Wee (12&13 yrs) and Bantam (14&15 yrs) to include an Atom (10&11 yrs) and Mosquito (8&9 yrs) divisions. The organization is an associate member of the Moncton Football Association. Despite the community’s small size, players have experienced considerable success against areas with significantly larger population bases such as Moncton. Atom players hold the 2009 Moncton City Championship. Pee Wee players boast back-to-back Moncton City Championships from 2008 and 2009. Last year the Pee Wee team came within 6 points of winning the New Brunswick Provincial Title. Over the past eleven years, Pee Wee teams have won the City Championship seven times. Success is the result of the dedication and hard work of players, coaches, volunteers and committed parents. SMFA also has a fall program, which attracts about 70 players.
Key in the programme’s success is the support of the community and its’ local sponsors. These include The Business Development Bank of Canada, Nesbitt Burns, The Town of Sackville, Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd., and Mount Allison University (Leadership Program and Football). Wray Perkin, a second-year student and Manager for Mounties Football worked as an equipment assistant for a CFL team in June 2009. The idea to marry professionals with the local area football club has been in the makings since Christmas and came from his summer work experience. Mt.A Leadership fosters the nurturing and development of leadership skills of students. The program has allowed Perkin to develop a new take on the traditional spring camp. He says, “It is not just about broadening the horizons of Sackville’s young football enthusiasts but about uniting football players of every single level in Canada, from mosquito to professionals.”
SMFA provides all equipment excluding footwear and mouth guards to participants. The organization embraces an ‘everybody plays’ policy and is well known for ensuring that youth whose families cannot afford registration do not go without playing. The Spring Camp will be a great way to reignite passion for the game and for newcomers to see what a great team sport looks like from the inside. Registration takes place on April 26th and 27th from 6-8 p.m. at the Civic Centre. High school registration will take place at the High School at various times on the 28th.
Andre Durie, Étienne Légaré and the rest of the Toronto Argonauts will be the home team as they host the Edmonton Eskimos at Université de Moncton on September 26 for Touchdown Atlantic. Fans should keep watching for details to be part of the festival week scheduled for the week of September 20 leading into the big game!
For more information and to secure interviews please contact:
Florence Rose, Sackville Minor Football Association (506) 850-0690, florence.rose@bdc.ca
Eric Holmes, Toronto Argonauts Football Club (416) 341-2733, eholmes@argonauts.ca
http://sites.google.com/site/sackvillemfa/ -30-
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