Teamwork – and a whole lot of fun – is the name of the game at the New Westminster Police Department’s soccer school.
Three-hundred kids aged five to 10 years of age attended this year’s camp, which was held July 22 to 26 at Queen’s Park Stadium.
“It’s been great,” said NWPD Sgt. Andrew Leaver. “Lots of soccer, lots of activities this year for the kids to be involved in.”
In addition to soccer, the week’s fun included plenty of non-soccer-related activities, including a visit from a petting zoo, displays of assorted vehicles (including an ambulance, police vehicles and an armored emergency response vehicle), a visit from the fire department (when firefighters sprayed water on kids), and a demonstration from the Lower Mainland Police Dog Services.
“Let’s hear it for our dog handlers and our dogs,” Leaver said after Wednesday’s police dog demonstration. “That’s a great example of teamwork, like we have been talking about all week.”
In addition to learning some soccer skills from volunteer coaches, kids also got some pro tips from former BC Whitecaps player David Ousted. He attended this year’s event to provide some coaching, tell kids what it’s like to be a professional soccer player, and talk about the importance of teamwork.
Leaver said the police department recognizes that some of the kids who attend the week-long event may not be avid soccer players, so other the week’s fun includes a variety of activities.
Other activities included an inflatable foosball game, a kick-to-win game (kids try to kick a ball into hula hoops laid out on the ground), and a needle in a haystack game. The camp also included an obstacle course that simulates the Police Officer Physical Ability Test that people must pass to become police officers.
A speed reader, normally posted in school zones to warn motorists about their speed, allowed kids to run to see how fast they could go.
“Yesterday, I saw a 31 km,” said Hailey Finnigan, the New Westminster Police Department’s strategic communications coordinator. “That was a speedy kid.”
First held in 1981, the NWPD soccer school returned to Queen’s Park in 2023 after a three-year hiatus caused by COVID. The hiatus gave the department an opportunity to review its popular program and see if any changes were needed.
“A few of the non-soccer-related things were added,” Leaver said. “We are going to have a variety of interests here; kids are going to come here who don’t necessarily have soccer skills. There are some soccer elements but there is also different stuff that they can enjoy. They’re going to have a fun week.”
Leaver said the NWPD is grateful to community members who continue to support the camp by registering their kids in the camp that emphasizes the importance of teamwork. He said the department is also thankful for the businesses that support the program with donations (which help keep the cost as low as possible) and the folks who volunteer at the soccer school. This year’s crew of 100 coaches and volunteers included 40 people from the New Westminster Police Department (including many who volunteer on their days off) and 60 community volunteers, including some past participants.
“This year we sold out in six hours,” he said. “We had to turn away volunteer coaches this year. We never expected to have to do that, but we had a very overwhelming response, which we are thankful for. It means the community is supportive of our program. We are happy about that.”
When kids checked in on Monday morning, they were divided into age-based teams. Each team was given the name of a country, based on FIFA rankings.
The New Westminster Police Department’s 2024 soccer school comes on the heels of the recently concluded European Championship and the Copa America championships.
“There’s a lot of energy around soccer,” Leaver said. “I think that definitely lends itself to the kids wanting to come and play.”
Vancouver is set to host seven games in June and July 2026 as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I hope that we can use some of the energy from the World Cup and use some of the themes of the World Cup,” Leaver said. “We will name our countries after the teams that are in it.”
