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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The next generation of Fort Simpson soccer coaches got their start in the village over the weekend.

Ten residents participated in a soccer coaching and player development clinic from April 17 to 19. Mixed in with the six adults were four youth who play soccer on some of the village's teams.

"We're building our foundation," said Shane Thompson, a soccer coach in the village.

Including young players in the clinic is a way to ensure that there will be new coaches to maintain a strong soccer program in Fort Simpson and the North, Thompson said.

"It gives the youth an opportunity to give back to their sport," he said.

Issac Ayiku with NWT Soccer led the clinic. Participants started on Friday night covering coaching theory including ethics, sports safety, the roles of a coach and how to plan a practice. Two teams benefited from their new knowledge.

The coaches worked with the U-12 girls and U-14 boys' soccer teams over the next two days. With the girls the coaches learned drills that teach the basic concepts of soccer including passing and receiving the ball, said Thompson.

"The girls basically had 11 coaches out there working with them," he said.

Moving up an age level, the focus with the U-14 boys was on more complex techniques and drills.

"It's still fun but it's a little more structured," Thompson said.

Brothers Anthony and Thomas Roche were two of the soccer players and upcoming coaches who took the clinic.

Anthony, 18, said he signed up for the clinic to learn more about coaching. People like Shane won't always be around so there has to be other people who can lead the soccer teams, he said.

The brothers said they learned a lot of useful information including how to keep a team under control during practice, drills to build different skill sets and the responsibilities involved with coaching.

"It's stuff you can't learn on your own," said Anthony, who already helps his father coach the U-12 boys' team.

The clinic also included a lot of good concepts like the idea that if players expect to score they have a better chance of getting a goal, said Tina DeCouto, one of the adults participants.

DeCouto is an example of the soccer player to coach transition that the clinic was aiming to build. DeCouto grew up playing indoor soccer and said she took up coaching as a way to continue with the sport.

"Taking this clinic has motivated me to get into it more," said DeCouto, who has started as an assistant coach with the U-14 girls' team.

It's nice to see young players getting involved in coaching, said Issac Ayiku, who led the clinic.

Having young coaches is good for the sport and for the players. Sports are just a tool to coach individuals to become better people, Ayiku said.

Ayiku praised the work of both the new coaches and the players who participated in the clinic.

"They're doing a really great job," he said.

The clinic was held as the result of a partnership between the Village of Fort Simpson, the Mackenzie Recreation Association, NWT Soccer and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.