Ask and you shall receive.

Greater North Soccer Association is pleased to announce its new social media links.

Give us a like and follow our pages!

Be informed with the most up to date information by joining our socials.

On Saturday Sept 21st, Giuliano Celebre was honoured for his 40+ years of involvement in North Bay’s soccer community. He played a pivotal role in the amalgamation of three local clubs into the Nipissing District Soccer Club in 2019 and continues to serve as a consultant and mentor to the organization. His efforts were recognized in 2023 with the club’s first Excellence Life Member Award.

Way to go Giuliano!

GNSA wishes to thank all of the coaches that are helping shape the next generation of soccer players. We appreciate everything you do! Thank a coach today.

#thankyoucoaches #soccer #ontariosoccer

Congratulations to Giuliano Celebre of the Nipissing District Soccer Club on being awarded the Meritorious Award by Ontario Soccer.

Reflecting the momentous contribution of an individual to Ontario Soccer, and most importantly, to soccer in Ontario, the Meritorious Awards showcase our greatest sport leaders. These individuals have elevated the meaning of commitment to the community, dedicating themselves to the assistance of others and the promotion and leadership in multiple facets of the game in the province.

Way to go Giuliano!

My experience in the beautiful game dates back to a junior player in Portugal playing in the youth system of the Portuguese 1st division. My playing experience spanned over 30 years. 
During my post-playing years, I have been committed to promoting the sport in Sault Ste Marie as a youth coach, starting in 2009 with the Sault Civics program. Over the years I have coached different age groups and mentored young coaches by developing training sessions for reference, training schedules, player performance review forms and process, tournament participation process, among others. During my initial coaching years, I achieved all required certifications to be a qualified provincial coach. This led me to a Pre-B certification in 2012. Over the following years I became a regional level referee and continued my involvement in local soccer with a local academy leading to a technical director role with SUFA for a short period. More recently, I have completed my Soccer for Life Certification en-route to a C license. 
I am excited to start in this new role and will work to elevate the sport of soccer in the Sault providing great value to our youth.

Luis Lima - Qualifications

* C-License Youth - in progress
* Soccer for Life
* "Respect In Soccer" - OSA
* "Making Ethical Decisions" - NCCP
* "Making Headway in Sport" - NCCP
* Rule of Two
* Emergency Action Plan
* Regional Level Referee
====
* SYSC Youth coach - Multiple age groups over the years
* SYSL Civics Coach - 2010-2014
* SYSL Senior Girls Coach
* SUFA Academy Coach & Technical Director
* Provincial Pre-B (2012) - OSA
* Portuguese 1st Division Youth System player with Varzim S.C.
* Over 30 years playing experience

The GNSA’s overall catchment area is geographically larger than the British Isles, according to Wilkinson. The district goes southeast to Parry Sound and as far north as Kapuskasing.

Author of the article:  Gordon Anderson.  Aug 10, 2024

The Great North Soccer Association is the amalgamation of the Sault Youth Soccer Club, Sudbury District, Soccer Northeast (North Bay) and Soccer North (Timmins).  PHOTO BY SUPPLIED

Soccer talent in northern Ontario needs development and a pathway with less restriction. With the amalgamation of four distinct soccer districts into the Greater North Soccer Association, a less restrictive path to elite level soccer suddenly became more available.

“Sault Ste. Marie has produced many players who went on to play at the NCAA level but not at the national level and that’s the goal,” Sam Cistaro said. “To play better competition, our players would often have to travel to southern Ontario on weekends.”

Cistaro is the media manager of the GNSA. Cistaro was the past director of media and sponsorship for the Sault Youth Soccer Club.

The GNSA is the amalgamation of the Sault Amateur Soccer Association , Sudbury District, Soccer Northeast (North Bay) and Soccer North (Timmins).

The partnership officially came into being early in January of 2023.  The membership has 18 clubs and their leagues that play within this region.

Present day, the organization wants to capture the momentum of Canadian elite soccer and how the local organization can assist in the exposure of top-tier talent male and female to provincial and national team evaluators.

One tangible benefit the GNSA believes will go a long way is less red tape than its previous arrangement with the Ontario Soccer (OS).

“When you went out of the district you had to have permission from the district you were traveling from, and the permission of the district you were traveling to,” GNSA president Clive Wilkinson said “Now, any club in my district can organize a game against another club in my district. The district office doesn’t even have to know this is happening because we’ve already given permission for all these teams in the district to play.”

Wilkinson is also a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Sports Hall of Fame.

There is local talent that must play against better players in bigger centres.

For example, Soo City United U18 striker Sophie Fata played on the U16 and U17 provincial Xcel teams earlier this year. Further up the development ladder is Cloe Lacasse. The Sudbury resident is a member of the Canadian women’s national soccer team. The forward also suits up for Arsenal WFC in the England-based Women’s Super League.

There is a belief within certain segments of the GNSA that OS tends to pay little attention to soccer development north of Barrie. Now the league can set its own mandate in developing talent without following the southern Ontario focused rules laid down by the provincial governing body.

At the top end of the development curve, Wilkinson would like to see provincial and national level talent produced throughout the region. But that goal is going to take time, dedication from roving technical directors, patience and plenty of money to fulfill all the long-term goals.

At the bottom end, the president wants to see every player get the opportunity to venture outside their fiefdoms to face better and varied competition.

At the very least, the association is a starting point for all that and more.

“We want competitive clubs and more of them,” Wilkinson said. “We have a lot of little clubs that are playing in isolation like Kapuskasing or Cochrane, Kirkland Lake and Walden. They never go outside their city’s limit; they just play by themselves.”

The GNSA’s overall catchment area is geographically larger than the British Isles, according to Wilkinson. The district goes southeast to Parry Sound and as far north as Kapuskasing.

“Our district is 900 kilometres north to south by highway,” Wilkinson said. “The size of the district is sometimes overwhelming,”

Cloe Lacasse of Sudbury is heading to the Olympics as a member of Canada’s women’s soccer team.

Coach Bev Priestman and her staff named their 18-player Olympic roster before leaving Tuesday for a pre-tournament camp in Spain.

Lacasse began playing soccer at age five and starred for the Sudbury Canadians before moving on to Brampton Brams United in 2010.

Play. Inspire. Unite.

In this special Ontario Soccer Spotlight, we feature two exceptional athletes from Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay who made their mark on the 2024 Provincial Xcel Teams. Now, these Northern Stars are lighting the way for other athletes in their communities.

Join us as we hear from Sophia Fata of Soo City United and Nathan Miller of Thunder Bay Chill. These standout players share their experiences in the prestigious Provincial Xcel program, discuss their personal growth and recount their travel adventures to and from the Zanchin Automotive Soccer Centre in Vaughan. 

Get inspired by their stories and celebrate their journey with us! 

Ontario Soccer is thrilled to announce the selection of 50 deserving soccer organizations as recipients of the Circle K Celebration Festival Grant program, aimed at supporting grassroots soccer initiatives across the province. This initiative, made possible through the generous support of our Premier Partner Circle K, aims to bolster local soccer communities and enhance the development of young athletes.

Overview: The C Diploma develops the coach’s capacity to meet the demands of coaching grassroots soccer and is the entry-course to the Advanced Coach Education Pathway.

Target Coach: The C Diploma is a requirement for OPDL and League1 Ontario Assistant Coaches but is open to all coaches looking to advance their careers and understanding of the game.

Course Duration: 75 hours

Learning Environment:

• 6 days, in person (classroom & on-field)
• Independent Online Learning (asynchronous)
• Collaborative Online Learning (synchronous)
• Assessment of Competency

Pre-requisite:

• Learn to Train or Soccer for Life (Trained) or Ontario Soccer Grassroots Diploma (Certified)
• NCCP Make Ethical Decision (MED) Workshop + Online Evaluation
• Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders (Soccer)
• NCCP Making Head Way in Sport (Soccer)
• NCCP Emergency Action Plan
• NCCP Understanding the Rule of Two

Course Fee: $1,650

Licence Validity: Upon successful completion of the C Diploma the coach will receive a coaching licence valid for three (3) years. The licence may be maintained by following the Canada Soccer Maintenance and Renewal Process.

Application and Registration: Application window is open until August 9, 2024. Coaches must provide proof of pre-requisites. Successful candidates will be notified by August 16, 2024 and will need to confirm their placement through payment by August 23, 2024.

Log on to ontariosoccer.com to register