As early as last week, the chance a player from the Moose Jaw Soccer Association would set foot in legendary Celtic Park in Glasgow and play a game was little to none.
Not anymore.
In fact, it’s probably likely. And there’s a very real chance the reason it could happen will change the face of Moose Jaw soccer forever.
“We’ve partnered with a bit of a powerhouse,” MJSA technical director Jordan Jeffery said with a laugh.
The MJSA announced Friday that they had officially partnered with Celtic FC of the Scottish Ladbrokes Premiership, one of the winningest teams in European soccer history and an absolute monster of a high-level professional soccer program unlike anything seen in North America.
Nine straight Premiership titles dating back to 2011-12, with 51 titles overall and 31 second-place showings. Add on 39 Scottish Cup club championships and you get the idea.
And now Moose Jaw will have a chance to benefit from all that experience, all that winning.
“It’s a pretty big deal and it’s going to be a game changer, I think,” Jeffery said. “On top of their curriculum, we’ll have access to sending our players and coaches over to Glasgow and will also have some partner clubs in the U.S. that host things as well that we can go and participate in, player programs and training camps and international tournaments.”
Elite players will have the opportunity to move overseas and train in Celtic player development programs in Glasgow. The potential will also be there to send teams over to receive training from Celtic FC coaches as well as play opposition from around Scotland.
Could Moose Jaw Soccer Association players find themselves playing in Paradise, as Celtic Park is known to the locals? Wikipedia photoA pattern that might be followed could see U12 players train with an elite program in New York, U14 players take part in an international tournament ran by Celtic in the U.S. and older players and teams facing clubs in the Celtic program in Glasgow during an overseas excursion.
“So there are a few extra things you get now as a Moose Jaw Soccer Association-registered player that will offer an extra scope for development and an extra experience for our players,” Jeffery said.
Even in the short time the deal has been in place – Celtic FC announced it on their team website on Friday morning – Moose Jaw has seen benefits, with one immediate boon coming from the Return to Play program as soccer in Saskatchewan aims to resume from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just having access to their curriculum is mind-blowing in terms of the detail,” Jeffery said. “They even went through their own curriculum for partner clubs and took everything from it and made a social distancing curriculum for us yesterday. That’s how much they’ve put into it, and they didn’t have to do that. They could have told us to figure it out for ourselves, but instead they took it on themselves and took a hands-on roll in helping us getting back to playing.”
So just how did this all happen? Backroom negotiations, multiple trips overseas and smoke-filled rooms?
“Just a chance encounter via e-mail,” Jeffery laughed. “I was talking to someone who was involved in a club in the U.K. and he mentioned that Celtic were looking to expand their partner program in Canada. They have one in Ontario and one in B.C., but they were looking to get more of that western Canada hub set-up and ended up choosing Moose Jaw.”
The timing of the partnership couldn’t be much better when it comes to player performance in the city.
Celtic has a trophy case that makes the Montreal Canadiens and New York Yankees feel inferior. Wikipedia photoIn addition to their wild success on the indoor circuit this past winter that included a provincial title and top three performance almost across the board, Moose Jaw FC has seen more and more of their players moving on to higher levels, including seven who recently signed with Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference schools.
That has Jeffery excited for what might come with the additional training and opportunities.
“We’ve seen lately we can get players signed to the next level, but what other levels can we explore, how much further can we push them and enhance our own development of players at younger ages,” Jeffery said.
“I think with the facility we have in town and the things we have access too, it’s fitting for us to have a program of that stature involved with us. We can develop a program that warrants having that facility… we have goals where we want to be in terms of a club in Saskatchewan and western Canada and something like this is going to help that happen.”
