Daza hoping to raise Phoenix to higher level

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This article was published 22/04/2010 (5656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If Pedro Daza has his way, Phoenix Soccer Club will one day be a factory for young soccer talent.

The club’s newly hired technical director has big plans for creating a development system that will groom players to potentially play for provincial, national, and even professional teams.

“This is something pretty new in Manitoba,” Daza said of his position. “Our main goal is focus on player development and to motivate coaches to continue their education.”

Proving that he practises what he preaches, the North Kildonan resident will be heading to England in October to obtain his UEFA goaltender coaching licence, making him the first Manitoban with that designation.

Daza already has his national B coaching licence and has worked with elite players during his 27-year coaching career, including last year’s Canada Summer Games provincial team.

“Our goal is to get as many kids as possible to a national training program,” said Phoenix head coach Malcolm Mitchell. “Having someone with Pedro’s qualities is essential. He was my No. 1 choice. Not only is he a high quality coach, but he is always seeking to better himself.”

The model that Daza envisions at Phoenix takes many of the best elements he has seen from soccer-mad countries in South America and Europe, where kids get into the game practically from the womb.

Growing up in Chile, Daza remembers kicking a ball around the street when he could barely walk.

“I believe that the more they get to touch the ball, the quicker they develop,” he said.

With its Mini Kickers program for four- to six-year-olds and Junior Kickers for six- to eight-year-olds, Phoenix is aiming to make the game all about fun for youngsters.

“We want to create a positive learning environment for the kids without much coaching,” Daza said. “If you let them make mistakes, it’s the only way for them to learn.”

Once the players reach 10 years old, they’re eligible for the club’s School of Excellence, where they can focus more on skills such as dribbling, running with the ball and comfort in one-on-one situations.

Only after they reach 13 will Phoenix teams start to shift their focus from technical skills to in-game tactics.

Mitchell said the success of Phoenix’s development plan will be not be judged based on how many championships its teams win, but how the players perform.

“We demand that you play good soccer,” Mitchell said. “Our belief is if you play good soccer, winning will become second nature.”

Daza said he gained some valuable insight when he took the provincial team to Brazil to train last summer, and would love to see a similar approach with Phoenix.

He plans to incorporate many elements of sports science — strength and conditioning, nutrition, psychology — for the club’s elite players.

For him, satisfaction will come from seeing each player reach his or her full potential.

“I’m very proud,” Daza said. “This is an honour to work for this club, and a great opportunity.”

avi.saper@canstarnews.com