It was a perfect day for a soccer game, 25 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. It was 4:30 in the afternoon and there were a few hundred Toronto FC fans gathering in the north end of BMO Field. These fans were not your average TFC fans, and they were not gathering to see Giovinco, Altidore or Bradley. The hundreds of fans gathered together were friends and family members of the one hundred and seventy Kia Toronto FC Academy athletes and they were waiting to see the future of Toronto FC march onto the field.
It was the 2nd Annual Kia Toronto FC Academy Achievement Day and the next sixty minutes at BMO Field would be about recognizing the hard work, dedication and commitment that every single Kia Toronto FC Academy athlete exudes day in and day out. From our youngest athlete on the U10 team (7 years old) to the oldest athlete on the SR team (17 years of age) each of our athletes was being given a standing ovation as they marched onto the field.
Greg Vanney, Toronto FC head coach, was the first person to address the proudly standing athletes. Vanney spoke to the club’s vision of one day having a First Team composed of mainly homegrown players, and applauded the athletes standing behind him for how much they have accomplished thus far this year.
Vanney was followed by two Toronto FC Academy Athlete speakers: Juan Pablo Sanchez, from the U12 team, and Brogan Engbers, from the SR Academy team. Both athletes were nominated to be speakers based on their embodiment of Toronto FC’s eight core values – communication, accountability, collaboration, integrity, learning, innovation, results and hard work.
Juan Pablo’s love for the sport, as well as his appreciation for being a Toronto FC Academy Athlete was evident in his heart-felt speech to the crowd.
“I hope that one day I will step into this field to represent the first team and make all of you proud of our team” were his final words before passing the microphone over to Brogan.
Brogan spoke on his unique experience being an Academy Athlete. He spoke to the sacrifices his family has made, to help him achieve his dream – driving from Ottawa to Toronto for three years before moving to Toronto and living with a billet family. He concluded his speech with his raw enthusiasm for his team and yelled – ALL FOR ONE – as all one hundred and seventy Academy Athletes in attendance yelled in unison – TFC!
Toronto FC/Toronto FC II player and former TFC Academy graduate Manny Aparicio addressed the crowd, speaking to the dedication and commitment it takes to make it to the next level. The last speaker of the event was the General Manager of Toronto FC, Tim Bezbatchenko.
Tim began by thanking all the families who commit themselves every day to the pursuit of our athletes’ dreams: “It begins with a love for the sport, that we all share, but it really manifests itself in hours of sacrifice. Driving to games and practices day-in, day-out. Week-in, week-out. So at this time I’d like the athletes and staff to join me in thanking all the parents and coaches who have given so much so that you could be here today”, he said.
Bezbatchenko recognized the numerous milestones the Kia Toronto FC Academy has achieved this year.
“Our senior team had a strong showing in the Generation Adidas cup in Dallas. Our U-13, 14 and 15 teams all traveled and competed against some of the biggest clubs and academies in Europe. Our U-12 side won the Generation Adidas Cup and competed in the prestigious Arousa Futbol 7 tournament in Arousa, Spain, tying FC Barcelona and beating other European clubs along the way. Our U-15 team travelled to Italy and went undefeated until the championship match, finishing 2nd in the tournament. These extraordinary achievements as of late, speak to the great things each of you do to represent Toronto FC and have helped establish ourselves as a leader in player development in North America, and now beyond.”
He concluded his speech with one final thank you to all the Young Reds on the pitch. With all the speeches concluded there was only one thing left to do. It was time to get back to focusing on Giovinco, Altidore, Bradley and all the other Toronto FC players as they were about to take on NYFC. The future reds would all be in the stands together cheering on their idols; watching, learning and admiring the stars who they hope to one day be.
