2012 All Stars: the players
Posted on 16 July 2012 in All Stars
There are 429 footballers registered to participate in this week’s All Stars showcase in Mount Pearl, NL and Halifax, NS. Both the U-16 and U-15 Boys soccer competitions will take place in Mount Pearl while the U-16 and U-15 Girls soccer competitions will take place in Halifax. This year’s showcase runs from 17-21 July 2012.
The All Stars are part of the Canadian Soccer Association’s annual National Championships, the umbrella tournament for Canada’s premier amateur competitions. The 2012 National Championships include the All Stars from 17-21 July and the Club Championships from 3-8 October. While the All Stars feature U-16 and U-15 categories, the Club Championships feature amateur open (Challenge Trophy and Jubilee Trophy), U-18, U-16 and U-14 categories.
This year’s U-16 category features players born in 1996 or later. In the boys event, the “1996” footballers are eligible for biennial CONCACAF & FIFA events at the U-17 level until 2013 (for players born 1996 or later) and at the U-20 level until 2015 (for players born 1995 or later). In the girls event, the “1996” footballers are eligible for biennial CONCACAF & FIFA events at the U-17 level until 2012 (for players for 1995 or later) and at the U-20 level until 2016 (for players born 1996 or later).
This year’s U-15 category features players born in 1997 or later. In the boys event, the “1997” footballers are eligible for biennial CONCACAF & FIFA events at the U-17 level until 2013 (for players born 1996 or later) and at the U-20 level until 2017 (for players born 1997 or later). In the girls event, the “1997” footballers are eligible for biennial CONCACAF & FIFA events at the U-17 level until 2014 (for players for 1997 or later) and at the U-20 level until 2016 (for players born 1996 or later).
Of the 429 footballers taking part in the 2012 All Stars, more than one-third are taking part in their first National Championships event. Those players will compete for one of six “select” teams in their respective age category: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan-Manitoba, Ontario, Québec or Atlantic. Information on the All Stars is available online via canadasoccer.com/selects.
Of note, more than one third of the registered players have previously trained in one of Canada’s five National Training Centres. There are 38 players that have participated in at least one national youth camp, including two of which have participated in a CONCACAF youth championship in either 2011 (Jordan Hamilton) or 2012 (Victoria Pickett).
