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Stephen Ademolu, journalist
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“League1 Ontario will also be having a women’s league and I’m very excited about this development because women’s soccer is taking off in a very significant way due to the success of our women’s national team.” – Stephen Ademolu, journalist, contributor to the Urban Book Circle.
Building a Stronger League1 Ontario by Stephen Ademolu
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Photo of Canadian Women's National Soccer Team courtesy of Urban Book Circle archives
Building a Stronger League1 Ontario
When it comes to League1 Ontario (or any domestic league), it all
starts with the referees. Before we kick a ball, our referees must be educated
and prepared in order to govern the match fairly as well as educate the
players. Here in Canada we have some good referees but this is another
important area that should continue to make strives for improvement. It would
be great for our referees in Canada to gain experiences outside of the local
environment – even travel to Europe and take classes and seminars – or have
good European referees come to Canada and help us out.
The role of a referee is not one of a dictatorship – you are a referee and you must teach and enforce your ways but it can be done respectfully in order to earn respect from the players. I also want to state that I believe that female head referees are making a big jump and I respect that we are a country that tries to change things. I still believe that some female referees are for some reason easier to talk to on the field but overall, we should be taking the blueprint from European soccer step-by-step to help improve the overall quality.
In one sense I’m saying that we need to take our time bringing female referees into the middle of the field, but in other instances they are the right fit. So let me say it like this: if the referees communicate with the captains on the field and offer transparency from the start instead of crossing the line of exercising authoritarian rule, all in all it doesn’t matter if you are a female or male referee. With the right approach instilled and mindset from all referees we might start a great thing here, trust me.
Overall, the level of the League1 Ontario is going to get better as it grows but it’s already pretty good. Outside of referee development, we also need to protect and encourage players who have experiences abroad to come into this league. I was pleased to see I was not the only veteran of European competition to come back and play locally – there are many others who played abroad like Andrew Ornoch and Joseph Di Chiara just to name a couple – who have something to offer the younger players. If we can get more people involved in League1, it will only grow stronger.
I also believe that the men’s national team should take a look at some of the young stars coming up in the league, especially those from Toronto FC Academy. I am immensely impressed with these players. If our national team can scout players like they do in Europe, we will excel beyond our wildest dreams.
Furthermore, I think the league has the capacity for more teams and with that the league will continue to grow and, as a result, so will the talent.
League1 Ontario will also be having a women’s league and I’m very excited about this development because women’s soccer is taking off in a very significant way due to the success of our women’s national team. That fact should be a lesson to the men’s team that when you start winning, you ultimately provide the young children with the aspiration to want to play the game and for their country, instead of picking another national team if they have that option.
I like what the league is doing by expanding to having a women’s league. The onus is now on everyone to put in the work and make it a success like League1’s first season was.
The role of a referee is not one of a dictatorship – you are a referee and you must teach and enforce your ways but it can be done respectfully in order to earn respect from the players. I also want to state that I believe that female head referees are making a big jump and I respect that we are a country that tries to change things. I still believe that some female referees are for some reason easier to talk to on the field but overall, we should be taking the blueprint from European soccer step-by-step to help improve the overall quality.
In one sense I’m saying that we need to take our time bringing female referees into the middle of the field, but in other instances they are the right fit. So let me say it like this: if the referees communicate with the captains on the field and offer transparency from the start instead of crossing the line of exercising authoritarian rule, all in all it doesn’t matter if you are a female or male referee. With the right approach instilled and mindset from all referees we might start a great thing here, trust me.
Overall, the level of the League1 Ontario is going to get better as it grows but it’s already pretty good. Outside of referee development, we also need to protect and encourage players who have experiences abroad to come into this league. I was pleased to see I was not the only veteran of European competition to come back and play locally – there are many others who played abroad like Andrew Ornoch and Joseph Di Chiara just to name a couple – who have something to offer the younger players. If we can get more people involved in League1, it will only grow stronger.
I also believe that the men’s national team should take a look at some of the young stars coming up in the league, especially those from Toronto FC Academy. I am immensely impressed with these players. If our national team can scout players like they do in Europe, we will excel beyond our wildest dreams.
Furthermore, I think the league has the capacity for more teams and with that the league will continue to grow and, as a result, so will the talent.
League1 Ontario will also be having a women’s league and I’m very excited about this development because women’s soccer is taking off in a very significant way due to the success of our women’s national team. That fact should be a lesson to the men’s team that when you start winning, you ultimately provide the young children with the aspiration to want to play the game and for their country, instead of picking another national team if they have that option.
I like what the league is doing by expanding to having a women’s league. The onus is now on everyone to put in the work and make it a success like League1’s first season was.
Stephen Ademolu,
journalist, contributor to the Urban Book Circle
journalist, contributor to the Urban Book Circle
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Stephen Ademolu,
journalist __________________________
__________________________
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Building a Stronger League1 Ontario by Stephen Ademolu
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- Jon Kovacevic | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | February 3, 2015
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· Column & Photographs: Stephen Ademolu / All rights reserved 2015. Copyright © Stephen Ademolu ·
· Canadian flag & sky – Photograph by Canadian journalist Djuradj Vujcic
All rights reserved 2008. Copyright © Djuradj Vujcic ·
All rights reserved 2008. Copyright © Djuradj Vujcic ·
· Photo of Canadian Women's National Soccer Team courtesy of Urban Book Circle archives ·
· Published on Urban Book Circle · Published on RedNation Online ·
· Design & Artwork by Djuradj Vujcic and Prvoslav Vujcic · Illustrated by Sarah Riordan and Deidre McAuliffe ·
· Edited by Djuradj Vujcic, Prvoslav Vujcic, Deidre McAuliffe, Sarah Riordan and Danijela Kovacevic Mikic ·
· Edited by Djuradj Vujcic, Prvoslav Vujcic, Deidre McAuliffe, Sarah Riordan and Danijela Kovacevic Mikic ·
All rights reserved 2015. Copyright © Urban Book Circle®
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Last updated on February 3, 2015.
Published by Urban Book Circle on January 28, 2015 Urban Book Circle® (UBC) |
