The Halifax Wanderers have announced further efforts to grow the game in Atlantic Canada, with the creation of more pathways towards the professional game and initiatives to encourage player and coach participation. 

After launching a U23 exhibition series in Summer 2022, the club will host pair of evaluation camps in February as part of the club’s expanding development plans for the 2023 season. 

An invitation-only identification camp for the region’s top U23 players is being held from February 22-24 in Halifax. Invited players were either developed in Atlantic Canada and/or currently playing in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) or Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) programs. 

The camp will be the first step in assembling the Wanderers U23 Reserve Team squad for this summer’s exhibition series and a chance for some players to earn first-team training camp invitations.

“We’re excited to build on a great start to our reserve team series launched in summer 2022 with more training camps and games coming this year,” sporting director Matt Fegan said. “Our goal is to get more players in Atlantic Canada to a level where they’re ready to challenge for first-team spots. This requires us to not only attract more quality here but also to retain the best AUS and ACAA players who have, in the past, left our region in search of competitive games each summer. 

“This year, we made a commitment to draft AUS players in the CPL – USPORTS draft, and it’s very intentionally meant to help these programs add another recruitment angle to attract more talent to our region who we’d hope will eventually move into the Wanderers system.”

The Wanderers plan to grow the Reserve Team program in 2023 by providing more high-level competition for the best-emerging talent in the region while offering first-team players additional minutes on the pitch during their CPL season. The Reserves will play a minimum of six friendlies against international and national opposition between April and August. While two of these matches will be played at the Wanderers Grounds, at least four will be played outside of Halifax, giving fans from all over the Maritimes a chance to see high-level football. The club will announce full details of the summer series before the Wanderers’ first-team season starts.

As a further expansion of their player pipeline, the Wanderers will enter a U18 team into this summer’s Rising Tides Youth Cup at Dalhousie University. A U18 Identification camp for boys born 2005-2008 will be held in Halifax on February 20. This invitation-only session will include a mix of training, scrimmages and professional development seminars by the Wanderers’ First Team staff, with players attending from NS, PEI and NB. 

“Each season, as we’ve continued to build our club from its foundations, we’ve committed to investing more in youth development, and this is the next evolution,” Fegan said. “Our first-team roster rules allow us to sign four U18 development players who can train all season and earn minutes in up to six first-team games. Naturally, we want to have as many of those spots taken by players at the required level from our region. It’s an excellent target for any aspiring footballer here.”

Both the U23 and U18 programs will be under the leadership of Halifax’s new head of youth development, Jed Davies, who joined the Wanderers for the 2023 season. Davies’ experience as head of player and coach development at Futuro Academy in Ottawa will be a massive asset to both the players and the coaches involved in these programs. 

“We’re delighted to appoint a coach of Jed’s abilities to head up our youth development efforts,” said Fegan. “He will combine this role with video analysis duties for the first team, which already has a number of under-21 players and an average age of just 23. This is all intentionally aligned to ensure continuity in our coaching approach for all our teams, so we’re creating clear pathways for our young players to develop.”

A selection of local club coaches will also support Davies throughout the summer season for Wanderers Reserves and U18 training sessions and matches. The Wanderers will work closely with local club partners to have their coaches and players attend youth sessions. 

“Just as important as player development is the need for coach development in our region. We will work with our local club partners to launch more initiatives this summer to attract more adults to take up coaching roles in their communities and celebrate those who have contributed to the game on pitches across our region. We are also happy to have seen some former Wanderers players, including Akeem Garcia, Cory Bent, and Kouame Ouattara, make the transition to coaching with local clubs. This is one way we can grow the game together.”

The Wanderers are excited to offer further updates on the 2023 Development Plan in the coming months with goals to launch a Junior Rover Youth Program to bring the game to more boys and girls in Atlantic Canada.

“We’ve talked a lot about how we’re creating new pathways for existing high calibre players, but even more important is the need to get more people playing and more coaches coaching football,” Fegan said. “We do feel we can contribute to that effort, and we’re looking forward to announcing more initiatives with this in mind in the spring.”