“The camps have been very successful” head coach Collinson said as 350 players attempt to crack Team Quebec U18 roster

This past weekend, the evaluation process concluded for Team Quebec under-18 team at Hebert Stadium in Montreal.

Approximately 200 players took part in the third and final evaluation camp (350 OVERALL).  Team Quebec’s head coach Brad Collinson explains the objective and goals of these camps as well as how the past three camps were conducted.

“The goals of the evaluation camps are to identify the top players in the province,” commented Collinson.  “We were fortunate to have around 350 kids tryout.”

“We run the kids through a combine where they run 40’s, T-Test, L-Test, vertical and broad jump. We then have a football practice where we have a teach period, 1 on 1’s and a pass shell.”

Ultimately, all goals and objectives of Football Quebec were met during the three evaluation camps.

“The camps have been very successful,” added Collinson.  “It is great to see the growth in our sport across the province.”

“More kids want to be part of the provincial team each year so as an organization it is fun to see the growth each year.”

Now that the evaluation camps are completed, the focus shifts to shortlisting the number of players that will be selected to participate in the next stage of the process.  Collinson admits that will not be an easy task for the Team Quebec under-18 coaching staff.

“The next step will be to finalize our list for the next stage which is a weekend camp June 1-2, 2013,” explained Collinson.  “We will be inviting around 120 to 130 kids to this stage.”

“This stage is always difficult because you don’t want to make a mistake when trimming the list down.”

Team Quebec will be gunning for their third consecutive gold medal at the 2013 Football Canada Cup, which will be held this year in Moncton, New Brunswick from July 15th to July 21st.  The coaching staff remains pretty much have stayed intact from last year.  However, there is one significant change.

“Our staff is more or less the same as last year with only a change at offensive coordinator with Pat Boies of McGill joining the staff,” added Collinson.  “Pat was also the offensive coordinator of Team Canada last summer so he brings a lot of experience to the offensive side of the ball.”

CLICK HERE FOR TEAM QUEBEC COACHING STAFF

 

Overall, the team is looking forward to the opportunity to defend its Football Canada Cup gold medal and will be prepared to face stiff competition at this year’s tournament.

“This year’s tournament is going to be very competitive especially with Ontario going to one team,” commented Collinson.  “The format has also changed with the previous year’s champion getting a first round by to the semi-final.”

“So we as a staff have to make sure the players are prepared and ready to play at a high level.”

Photo credits:  Photos courtesy of Football Quebec website

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