Ottawa St. Anthony Italia Soccer Club

Merry Christmas

Congratulations to Twinkle Toes Marissa Gravel from the Futuro 03 girls team for signing with perennial powerhouse Queens University. Marissa has had an outstan...ding youth career and will be a huge asset to the University of Queens Gaels women’s varsity team. From a very young age when Marissa attended Parmar Sports Training Ball Mastery Programs, I recognized an incredibly talented young athlete who combined a real excitement to learn new skills, work ethic, and a high level of coordination. I gave her the nickname twinkle toes and invited her to try out for our U11 boys team as I felt her level was much higher than what we could offer her on the girls side. To give you an idea of how good she was, I have asked her teammate/captain and Futuro’s original player since October, 2011, Eric Lajeunesse to share his experience of playing with her. I remember playing with Marissa for many years and she had no problems fitting into our team. At games, when we would play some of the best boys teams in the country, I would see the opposition players share a look of relief when there was a girl playing against them. But once the match began, not only was Marissa able to compete with them, she was always one of the best players on the field. Underestimated by the opposition, but never failed to show them up and outclass them. Marissa’s performance and commitment to excellence on the field and on her own time led to us seeking higher level training at English Premier League giants Arsenal Football Club in the spring of 2015. Marissa didn’t disappoint and was bumped up a few age groups to train with the older girls team. 2016 was another fabulous year as Marissa continued her development and had the opportunity to go to Paris St. Germain to participate in a tournament where she played against boys teams from around the world and helped win the PSG Cup by defeating Brazil in the final as the starting centre mid. Her accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed in Canada and Marissa was accepted to train with the Vancouver Whitecaps where Canadian Youth National Team Staff were in attendance. Never one to disappoint, Marissa shone amongst the top talented young female soccer players across the country. Carson Duhaney, father of 2003 player Tyr Duhaney had the following to say about Marissa. I remember the first time I saw Marissa, we were training at the U of O, Lees Campus gymnasium. The first thing I noticed was her cat-like, fast-twitch muscles, and amazing first 10-step speed; not at all to be overshadowed by her technical ability. Right away I knew those three things had her in the right place and at the right time. Moving from the gym to the field only amplified the potential for growth as that 10-step speed turned into 20 steps, and beyond. Her gifts continued to develop into a strong soccer IQ that had her gravitate to the center of the field where she really started to shine as one of the best midfielders in the club, of any age or gender. As a mid-fielder she would grow as a complete player, augmented by her physical toughness. She would never back down from a 50/50 challenge, which in turn motivated her team to duplicate her warrior mentality. Her poise and decision-making were other markers that set her apart and were clear to see during matches and practices alike. Any team would gain from building a squad around her. Coach Dave McDowell is entering his 32nd season as head coach of the Queen’s Gaels women’s soccer team. A winner of numerous Coach of the Year and national championships says, We are tremendously excited to have Marissa joining our soccer program. She brings a level of technical excellence and field awareness that we think will allow her to play in several positions and contribute immediately within our group. Above all else, we think she brings a competitive mentality that we think will make her a huge success as a student athlete here at Queen’s. We look forward to welcoming her officially in the fall and can’t wait to get started on the field. Jed Davies, Futuro Head of Coach and Player Development gives us an exciting recollection of his first few days as a guest coach at Futuro. The first time I saw Marissa Gravel she was playing right wing for the 2003 boys team in 2014, I think I remember the full line up for the game, It was a 9v9 game: Luka; Oli, Matthias, Nico; Eric, Ammar; Bilal, I forget the striker and Marissa. Marissa and Bilal were the two players I was blown away with and they were the first Futuro side I got to see play as a visiting guest coach from the UK. Marissa was so quick, so direct in her dribbling and didn’t celebrate when she scored goals - but she was definitely one of the team, the boys treated her no differently to how they treated each other - the opponents took a heavy defeat that day and Marissa was one of the stand out players, tormenting the opposition. Little did I know that by the end of that game I’d be deeply passionate about Futuro and what we stood for as a club. Marissa was quiet, brave and incredibly humble when I spoke with her that day and I could tell that once you got to know her she was the type of person who would go above and beyond to meet any expectations and challenges placed on her. Those same qualities are the things I would say about her today. As the founder and Technical Director of Futuro, I always pride our commitment to helping a child fulfill their potential from the moment we get an opportunity to make them a part of our family. Futuro Soccer Academy has created a culture of learning, aspiring, role modelling and performing. Marissa has been a stand out student over the years and has gone through all four stages of not only being a part of the culture, but leading the way to create the culture at Futuro. I want to thank twinkle toes for giving me the opportunity to be a part of her formative years and look forward to seeing her become one of the top players in Canadian university soccer in the upcoming four years. Futuro will always be your home! Sanjeev Parmar See more

Former Futuro player Antoine Coupland giving a tutorial on the Futuro 8 Move Combo

Congratulations to former Futuro player Noah Abraham Sewonet Abatneh for signing with Lazio U17 in the Italian Serie A. I wanted to share a great story for you... to motivate and inspire you as we return back to the field. Former Futuro 2004 player Noah Abatneh will officially start with Italian Serie A Club Lazio on July 1. Noah has been playing for feeder club ASD Savio for the past two seasons In Rome and has turned many heads as he's been sought after by Serie A Club Sampdoria. Lazio have been closely watching Noah's progress over the past three years both as a centre mid and recently as a right full back. Noah initially came on Lazio's radar when he was playing for AS Roma three years ago. This past year, Noah shot up in height and is now above 6 feet tall and has been transformed from a centre mid to a right full back who has the capability of covering lots of ground up and down the field while sublimely weaving his magic around opposition players. Noah's technical base was developed early and has been a major part of his success as a fullback as he possess excellent 1st touch and 1v1 skills in tight situations. Noah spent a year with Serie A Club AS Roma in his first year in Italy. At the end of the first season, he was released from the club due to not meeting the physical requirements that the club was looking for. They sent him to ASD Savio to keep an eye on his development. Unfortunately for AS Roma, Noah caught the eye of other Serie A Clubs as well as Toronto FC and the Canadian National Youth Team Staff. Sampdoria brought him in to train with their club and were very impressed with his abilities, however Lazio were the club who were able to make the quickest move in coming to an arrangement with Noah's club to have him join on July 1, 2020. Lazio's Technical Director has informed Noah that they are bringing him in to the club as they see a future for him in the Serie A with the club in the upcoming years. It just goes to show you that athletic development is not perdicatable during the teenage years and is completely non linear. Many players and parents have a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when they start to see hardships. Youth players are faced with many obstacles during their adolescent years that they NEED to overcome, however, most quit because they don't realize that passion (suffering or enduring) is not all fun and filled with happiness and success. At Futuro, we have build the academies foundation on passion and are committed to helping all of our players fulfill their potential. I wanted to share with you some amazing accomplishments from players at Futuro since the inception of the academy in October 2011: 2001 (first graduating class): - Costa Rica National Youth and World Cup Team: Carmen Marin - pro player in Greece: Tony Mavrozoumis - Haiti U17 National Team: Ed Florent - 12 players signed on scholarship to Universities in North America 2002 - Canada Youth National Team Captain / Montreal Impact: Ben Collins - Training with Dutch Club De Graafschap Chris Yoo / Domenic Lopes - Training with Spanish Club Espanyol: Domenic Lopes 2003 - Signed pro with USL Ottawa Fury at 15 / Youngest player in CPL: Antoine Coupland - Canada Danone Cup: Luka Vujicic - Training with English Club Plymouth Argyle: Eric Lajeunesse - Training with English Club Fulham FC: Oliver Laughton - Toronto FC Trial: Eric Lajeunesse - Invited to USL Club Miami FC: Eric Lajeunesse - trained with Arsenal: Marissa Gravel 2004 - AS Roma / Lazio: Naoh Abatneh - Canada U15 camp / USA u15 camp: Claire Rea - Canada Danone Cup: Claire Rea - trained with Arsenal: Claire Rea - Toronto FC Trial: Elage Bah - trained with Englsh Club Fulham FC: Nathaniel Mulualem 2005 - Haiti U15 National Team: Benedict Florent - Canada Danone Cup: Ben Penticost - Croatian pro club Hajduk Split trial: Adrijian Vranjkovic - Toronto FC Trial: Adrijian Vranjkovic / Martin Popp - trained with Leeds United: Zeid Abushaar 2006 - Canada Danone Cup Captain: Isaac Charbonneau 2007 - Training with Bayern Munich: Olivia Chen - signed with Montreal Impact: Ewen Nedellec 2008 - signed with English Club Sheffield United: Connor Penticost Recent news articles about Noah's signing https://www.gazzettaregionale.it//lazio-bianchessi-batte-d https://www.lalaziosiamonoi.it//lazio-bianchessi-piazza-al ASD SAVIO WEBSITE: https://www.saviocalcio.it/abatneh-e-formisano-approdano-a/ ASD SAVIO FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com//pb.3068913628/1538190106361341/

Bulletin #: I2020-063 Date: June 15, 2020 To: Club Membership...Continue reading