Cambridge Minor Football Association (CMFA) continues to strive for excellence

The Cambridge Minor Football Association has been providing the youth of the city with football programs for 30 years. It is however the past 5 years that have seen great growth and improvement that has their teams and athletes revered as the some of the best in the province.

The CMFA has gone from fielding a half dozen football teams annually for fun and recreation, to developing a complete program that turns out world class athletes and competes on a stage with the biggest cities and best clubs in the province.

In 2012 the CMFA will register over 1,000 kids in various programs, 600-700 local youth will participate in the clubs camps and teams from 7 to 19 years old on over 30 separate teams. The “program” is modeled after Sport Canada’s LTAD or Long Term Athlete Development Program that was adopted by Football Canada and the Ontario Football Alliance. Steve Amis CMFA President explains; “The LTAD in essence maps out the types of competition and training that a child should participate in through their personal growth and maturity as a young athlete. The best case scenario is to have 3 separate levels of competition; recreation, competitive and elite. By focusing on matching the desires and the abilities of the kids with specifically designed programs we maximize their development and most importantly the experience for each participant”. Cambridge’s distinct programs; The Cambridge Spring Football league will be led by Dave Olsen, the Director of Spring League. The CSFL introduces the kids to the fundamentals in a fun recreational, non-competitive, tackle football program. This is a developmental league designed to focus on team building, skill development, team work, self-confidence and sportsmanship.

Along with the CSFL, the Cambridge Lions OVFL & OMFL , respectively, have started their training camps a month ago and are getting prepared for the 2012 season. “Success certainly breeds success!” says, Bill Martindale, the Director of the Lions programs and a past President who has been a contributor of the many initiatives put in place that have made Cambridge’s teams Champions. “It’s actually getting easier for us to improve”. July will kick off the start of our Wolverine Tyke thru to Bantam, competitive SOFAL programs, run this year’s Director Gary Barbosa. The players from the SOFAL league then become our elite players of the future and join the Lion’s organization. That will round off the entire season of football for the Cambridge Minor Football Association.

All in all, this once sleepy little football club is now poised for greatness. All the elements are in place according to Amis. “We have a new expanded and revitalised board of directors with great ideas and enthusiasm. A corps of volunteer’s ready to step up and do whatever it takes to improve and provide the best experience we can. Our program directors have recruited the best coaching staffs possible, dedicated, trained and certified. Corporate sponsorship has seen the benefits a solid football program has on our youth and are looking for ways to help foster these ideals. Our relationship with the City of Cambridge and the Waterloo Regional District School Board has us anticipating the main field at the “Jake” (JHSS) will have field turf installed this spring”.

With the three leagues in place, the CMFA will have well over 450 kids ranging from 6-19 years of age, hitting the grass as of May 1/12. Along with the highly anticipated turf field scheduled to get installed this spring the experience playing with this organization sounds like it will be second to none.