Summer soccer camps get underway for Nanaimo United on July 2. July is also the final month of the season for high level Harbourside FC teams which play under the United umbrella. (Nanaimo United)

By Dan Marshall

Summer Kick Off

Kids camps highlight summer schedule for Nanaimo United soccer club

Jun 29, 2024 | 11:57 AM

NANAIMO — Young players learning about soccer and the highest performance athletes are the focus of the Nanaimo United soccer organization this summer.

Summer camps are about to get underway as the Harbourside FC League1 BC season is coming to and.

Alex DeMille, community engagement lead for United, said the beginning of summer camps comes on the heels of a highly successful Happy Cleats program.

“It just ended and they finished with a stuffy day. They brought their stuffed animals to their soccer practices and we took a group photo. We had over 500 kids from ages three to seven. It’s always a great time in Happy Cleats, the coaches are awesome and we have a lot of interest in volunteering.”

Summer camps are for kids in the U6 to U11 age groups with one camp a week running for eight weeks.

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Camps kick off on Tuesday, July 2.

“They’ll do a few hours of soccer drills, they do tie dyes and t-shirts, there’s bouncy castles, arts and crafts, there’s a pizza day. They can expect a lot of funs and kids making new friends. It’s a great introduction especially for an older child who hasn’t played any soccer before.”

The Harbourside FC men’s and women’s teams are winding down their seasons with three games remaining.

Both sides have three games left with two contests at home on July 20 and 21.

DeMille said the elite athletes at Harbourside give younger players something to aspire too.

“It’s really cool seeing athletes, most of which came from Nanaimo or on the island, playing at this high level. Our youth players come and walk out them before matches. It’s great to see the contrast knowing those players were once that age and now they’re playing professional calibre soccer.”

There’s also a growing pathway from Harbourside to Vancouver Island’s highest level team Pacific FC with goalkeeper Callum Weir recently getting a chance to practice with the Canadian Premier League squad.

A pair of Nanaimo United boys teams recently wrapped up their soccer seasons.

DeMille said their strong finishes exemplify the depth of talent at all levels within the program.

“Our U17 boys took second place in their Island Cup. Those guys worked so hard in for the whole season. Our BCSPL boys were very close to going to their Tier 1 finals. I’ve seen a lot of growth on their end. I’m really excited to see where the rest of their soccer journeys are going to lead them.”

Registration is ongoing for United summer camps and the very busy September fall session.

DeMille notes that United brings upwards of one to two thousand people to local fields on most Saturday’s in their fall session.

Full details on all of their soccer offerings are available at Nanaimo United website.

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