A Centretown-run amateur soccer club is making a significant impact on Canada’s national women’s soccer team.
The Ottawa Women Fury, whose main offices are on MacLaren Street, has seven former players who will suit up for Canada during the 2012 London Olympic qualifiers from Jan. 19 to 29 in Vancouver.
Fury head coach Dominic Oliveri says Fury grads Christina Julien, Melanie Booth, Robyn Gayle, Diana Matheson, Carmelina Moscato, Kelly Parker and Rhian Wilkinson will bring an edge to Team Canada.
“They’re going to bring a possession-oriented style. That’s what Canada plays and that’s what we teach. It’s one of the reasons these players make the team,” says Oliveri, who has been on staff since 2003.
If the former Fury players can bring some of their winning ways from their time in Ottawa, then Canada is in great hands.
Owner John Pugh says he’s worked to build a winning reputation since founding the amateur soccer team in 2003.
His quest for success didn’t take long to achieve. Pugh quickly pieced together one of the most successful women’s soccer teams on the planet.
The team has won eight consecutive division titles in the United Soccer League’s W-League and was once ranked as high as seventh in the world by the Women’s World Football Top Team’s list.
Pugh says he put an emphasis on great coaching and facilities.
“Once you find success you can build better facilities, expand the program and bring in better players because the word gets out.”
The program produced national-level talent such as Julien, who first played for the Fury’s Under-20 squad as a 15 year old, then worked her way to the senior team before earning a soccer scholarship to a U.S. university.
She says what separates Ottawa from other programs is the professionalism.
“There’s an unspoken code of conduct throughout the club,” she says. “Everything from the owner’s job of bringing in the top coaches in Canada to the amount of hours put into each team is professional.”
Ottawa’s success has caught the eye of soccer executives.
“The Fury set the standards for player development not only in Canada, but in North America,” says Amanda Duffy, senior director of the USL W-League.
“They use a proven model that is effective in developing players that can eventually result in progression to a national team.”
Oliveri says although none of his current roster is on the national team, there are still many rising stars in the Fury system.
“We consider Ottawa a stepping stone in their careers. We convey to our players that they come here to improve their game and move on to bigger things,” he says.