In just a short time, Tyler Hughes’s Tide Soccer Academy has become a key factor on the Cowichan Valley sports scene.
Tide Soccer, which recently entered into a partnership with the Cowichan Valley Soccer Association, is getting bigger as spring sessions get closer.
“It’s three weeks until the start, and we are already past the numbers we had in the fall,” Hughes said earlier this week. “The growth is there.”
The spring sessions begin on April 17 and run for 10 weeks, and are all held on the David Williams turf on Sherman Road. The academy is open to boys and girls between the ages of eight and 17, regardless of experience.
Players will be divided into three separate age groups (1999-2002, 2003-2005 and 2006-2008 birth years), plus a group specifically for goalkeepers.
“We will work with everybody from those who are new to soccer to any skill level,” Hughes said. “It’s for everybody. We are essentially looking to grow and work in the Valley and get kids playing more soccer, and give them a chance to grow.”
Academy member Jocelyn Lenarcic, who plays with the VI Wave out of Victoria, was recently invited to be part of the provincial program.
In addition to Hughes, a professional and national team player who is now a player and coach with Cowichan LMG, other Tide coaches will include some of Hughes’s teammates, and his brother Jordie, who plays in the Vancouver Island Soccer League with Bays United.
Visit tidesoccer.com for more information or to sign up.