In 2015, the St. Thomas Soccer Club hosted a preliminary ID camp for the Wolves North American Academy. Ian McClurg, the Technical Advisor for the STSC in 2015, runs 1v1 Soccer, which is a partner club within the Wolves North American Academy. The Academy is the North American arm of the Wolverhampton Wanderers, from the English Premier League, Centre of Excellence. From this preliminary ID camp, STSC player Keegan Windover was invited to attend an ID camp in Atlanta, GA. This invitation only went out to the top 100 of over 10,000 players scouted from Keegan’s age group. Keegan had tremendous success at the Atlanta ID camp, and has been selected as 1 of only 10 players from North America from his age group to attend an Elite Assessment at the Wolverhampton Wanderers’ training facility in England in April 2016.
Keegan is a grade 11 student in St. Thomas, and an active member of the STSC. Not only is he an active player, but he is also one of the top young officials in the area, and an active volunteer at Club events throughout the season. Keegan was a member of the STSC ’99 Boys Crew team that won the Challenge Cup in 2014. When Keegan was asked to describe his goals, there was no hesitation from him: “To play professional soccer.”
Keegan did take a moment for reflection when asked about his biggest strengths on the pitch.
“I am naturally left-footed, and that has definitely helped me,” the youngster said. “But my coaches have always seen my ability to play any position on the pitch as a huge bonus. It just seems to come natural for me. When I’m out there on the field, things seem to be moving in slow motion, allowing me to read and react to the play quickly.”
The talented teenager is very excited at this opportunity, although it comes with a significant price tag. Keegan explained how the trip is going to cost $4,500 and his family is not in a financial position to help with that.
“I am actively searching for donors and sponsors to help lessen the financial burden,” he said.
There is no doubt that Keegan has the ability to compete against the best-of-the-best, and the STSC wishes him the best of success as he travels across the pond to Dance with Wolves.
www.stthomassoccer.com
Story submitted by St. Thomas Soccer
