Caledon Coyotes under 16 girls' rep team England-bound

The Caledon Coyotes under 16 rep team is off to England. Shown are (l to r) Denise Leonardo (team manager), Heather Leonardo, Melanie Bettencourt, Sarah Ball, Stephanie Correa, Jaime Trueland, Amy Yorke, Sarah Leonardo, Stephanie Dimakarakos, Carmela Izzi, Susan Gesner (head coach), Shauna Rowley, Trish Shurrie, Jessica Penney, Olivia Clarke, Samantha Nordheimer, Alex Chiefari, Catherine Marignani. Absent was Maddie Hill.

The Caledon Soccer Club is pleased to announce that the Caledon Coyotes girls' under 16 soccer team is heading to Great Britain this coming spring! After a winter of speed and skill training led by Jason Bent, soccer programs coordinator at Kings Cross Physiotherapy in Brampton,

and inspired by Steve Hill, registered physiotherapist and owner of Kings Cross (and head coach of the Caledon Soccer Club), this team decided to follow the Caledon Fireballs' lead (2003 and 2005) and cross the pond!

During the 2007 March break, 15 team members,

coaches, family members and 2 guest players will travel over to London for an incredible soccer adventure.

They will be traveling with XL Tours, a company that provides international soccer tours to all levels of players. Ciaran McArdle, tour director from XL, is working directly with Susan

Gesner, Caledon Coyotes head coach, to tailor a program of competitions, training sessions, viewing of premiership and champion league games, as well as a healthy dose of sight seeing and learning about England's life and culture. To ensure the team is prepared for this challenge, they plan to continue intense training during the winter as well as participate in a number of tournaments.

A trip of this scope will require some serious fundraising to ensure that each player can comfortably afford the expenses that are part of this adventure. Money raised will go towards everything from travel and accommodation, to uniforms, tournaments and training expenses.

They would like to outfit the entire team in clothing that clearly identifies our community of Caledon, and demonstrates community commitment to health and physical fitness of Caledon youth.

The major fund-raiser kicks off this month. The players are selling tickets for a fabulous 5 day/4 night trip for two to England sponsored by XL Tours (estimated value $4,000). Bert Condotta of Caledon won the trip last year and said the trip was simply an amazing experience. Highlights he remembers include watching two games of premiership soccer, the personal chauffeur for many hours of leisurely sightseeing, the great accommodation and the incredible food.

The team is currently sponsored by two local firms: Sean Trueland of BMO Nesbitt Burns Private Client Division in Brampton, and GAEL, a local environmental consulting firm based out of Caledon. Additional support to date has also come from Paul Giannini at Absolute Soccer, a fantastic soccer store in Burlington, as well as continued support from Kings Cross Physiotherapy.

They are looking for additional sponsors wishing to champion these young athletes and plans are underway to recognize any and all contributions within our community at home and in the UK as they travel.

For more information on the trip, fund-raising opportunities, purchasing raffle tickets or helping support us by becoming a trip sponsor, please call Deb at 905-584-4380 or Dianne at 905-880-0478. They are also looking for businesses to sell tickets on their counters and anyone interested in supporting them on their UK soccer journey.