November 2024 Raffle Winners
Congratulations to our winners drawn for our raffle on November 30, 2024!
Winners were from tickets sold by the following groups:
1 - Adult
2 - U17
2 - U15
2 - U11
1 - U10
Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket in support of the Drillers Soccer Club!
U11 T2 (Du) Boys WIN GOLD at COPA!
Congratulations to our Drillers U11 T2 team winning gold this past weekend in the COPA Tournament. Going 2-1-0 and an impressive 12 goals for and only 3 against! WAY TO GO!!!
July Raffle Winner
Congratulations to David A. (Ticket C-1592) who won $4,075.00 in our 50/50 raffle!
A massive thank you to everyone who participated by buying tickets and sharing the link!! :)
Grassroots Change
Starting this 2024/25 indoor season, the U8 program (players born in 2017) will transition from the grassroots program to the development program. This change is being made to match the structure of other Edmonton clubs, and maintain our competitive edge. As soccer evolves in Edmonton, we the Drillers like to be leaders in this change and take steps that will help our players development. With our U8 teams now participating in EMSA league games, and transitioning to a team atmosphere this move makes the most sense for their continued growth and development.
With this change, The U8 program will now be a part of the Drillers Development program, with all information being found on the U8 - U11 Developmental webpage. As part of this transition, players will now need to participate in evaluations to secure a place on the team. The evaluation schedule is up on our website, as well as registration links.
We understand that this change may bring up questions or concerns. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you need any further information or clarification. We are here to support you and ensure a smooth transition for all players and their families.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Raffle Winner
Congrats to Shelby C. (Ticket C-2056) who won $2,982.50 in our 50/50 raffle! :)
A massive thank you to everyone who participated.
New Technical Director
Message from the President:
Good evening Drillers family,
While we know it has been a week of constant updates/e-mails, we have the best for last, in announcing the filling of our vacant Technical Director position! Upon learning of the recent position vacancy and that the club was seeking a new Technical Director, we had an internal candidate express interest. He met with the Board and Technical staff a few days ago to discuss and bounce off questions/ideas regarding the position, responsibilities, the club's goals and this candidate's vision of what he would like to implement into the club in the lead Technical Director role.
In conclusion, both parties felt this would be a good fit and direction. With that said, I am pleased and excited to announce Mark Spiller, as the Drillers new Technical Director!
Below please see a summary/bio about Mark's experience around the game of soccer, as well as a message from myself, on behalf of the Board of Directors.
Mark has been involved with the Drillers Soccer Club as a coach for nearly 2 decades. He has spent his time with Drillers coaching all ages from U-8 through into our Men’s Program. His long tenure within Drillers, along with being heavily integrated in the youth soccer community in Edmonton will be a great asset for our Club. Mark has not only coached in Edmonton for many years. but has played the game for most of his life. Growing through the ranks with one of the inaugural first Driller youth teams (1986' boys), through St. FX High School Soccer Academy, and he has been a part of our Drillers Men’s Major League squad for years, often near the top of the goal scoring charts. He also spent time playing semi-professionally when the Edmonton Drillers indoor team (previously in the NASL @ Rexall/Skyreach Centre for those from that era), made a comeback in the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League in 2008. Mark has competed in many Provincial and National Championships as a player with his Alberta youth soccer teams, and also was a stand-out player with the NAIT OOKS at the collegiate level.
Ever since Mark has decided to start coaching, he has always had a strong drive to improve and push not only his players/teams he has worked with but also himself in learning and developing as a coach. He has coached his teams to many youth/men’s league titles and Provincial Champions. He has had the pleasure of taking the 1996' boys Drillers youth team from U-8 all the way to U-18, in their final season where they won Alberta Soccer U18 Tier 1 provincials, earning the opportunity to represent the Drillers on the country's stage at the Canadian Youth National Championships. Most recently, Mark has held the position of U13-U19 Technical Lead Coach for the Drillers over the last two years. Mark obtained his Provincial Coaching C-License in 2016, along with numerous NCCP courses. He also spent a year working as a Technical Coach with the Barcelona Academy when they were stationed in Edmonton years ago. Most recently, he has continued his development as a coach and succesfully completed and obtained his National-B Level Coaching License with Soccer Canada over the past year. The coaching experience and drive he displays to continually grow and adapt with the game is what will make a positive learning environment for current and future Drillers (both players and coaches) to develop and grow as individuals and within their teams!
Board of Directors Message:
"While the outside soccer community may ask why our club did not look to post externally for the vacant TD position, the outside soccer community also likely would not have had a devoted, invested, and up-and-coming decorated soccer mind within their own ranks. It was quite clear after our Board and staff's initial meeting with Mark earlier this week, that he was ready and motivated to take a lead role for the club that he has grown with as player and coach to present day. We look forward to his new ideas and concepts to progressively phase into the club, in a variety of aspects including; player training in both a technical skill curriculum and tactical game model knowledge, our team coaches mentorship/development, and overall changes to the club structure, culture and attitude. We believe that Mark's coach education experiences, most recently his National B Coaching License from Canada Soccer, and his ability to relate as a player and past team coach himself, will give him a wide range of tools to work with our club membership, as well as networking within the Provincial and National soccer community.
Speaking personally for a second here, I have known Mark for many years - whether it has been playing as a past teammate, as youth team coach colleagues with the Drillers, and most recently playing under his guidance as he coached of the Men's Major League squad this past Outdoor season. One thing I can say without a doubt in my mind is that Mark's ambitious and motivated nature to teach and improve will be infectious throughout our clubs' ranks. This is also an extremely well-deserved opportunity for one of our own, who has deep roots and investment within the club's history, and we know how much he wants to see the Drillers grow and succeed. I look forward to seeing him thrive in this role as we support him, the other Technical staff, and most importantly, our youth team coaches, into a next chapter for the Drillers.
You will likely be introduced to Mark throughout the coming months whether it be Team Evaluations, Club Meetings, Season Start-Up sessions or monthly Club-Wide Technical Sessions. Mark can be reached directly as his new e-mail address technicaldirector@edmdrillers.com
Raffle Winners
Congrats to our latest raffle winners!
1st – Gabriel W
2nd – David S
3rd – Yvonne H
4th – Ron K
5th – Eileen D
FULL EMSA MEMBERSHIP
Beginning Indoor 2022/23, the Drillers are excited to now be a part of the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA) - as a full member, which will be a positive step for soccer in the greater Edmonton area with club soccer under one organization!
Now being under EMSA, this will only further the opportunities for our club to proper player and team development by offering BOTH girls and boys Tier 1 & Tier 2 Elite programs and Tier 3 & 4 Competitive programs that constantly strives for character and technical development, fair play and a higher level of progression and achievement. Our mandate is to provide players with the most appropriate level of play for their development! (Ex. Ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 4)
2022 Annual General Meeting
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Edmonton Drillers Soccer Club will be holding our Annual General Meeting starting at 6:30 PM @ the West Soccer Centre Meeting Room #1 (17415 106A Avenue) on Monday November 28th.
We invite all members of the club to attend (players, parents of registered minors in the program and team officials)
Provincial Gold!
Our U13 boys team who were at Tier 3 Provincials in Okotoks this past weekend took home the gold medal!
A couple group stage wins and then taking down Calgary 1 and Calgary 2 in the semi finals and finals en route to a gold medal!
Congrats to the boys and the coaches AJ, Eric and Manager John, along with Tech Lead Santi for their hard work over the summer and having the team prepared to their fullest potential, the players were very thrilled to have such a positive experience.
Outdoor 2022 - July Club-Wide Raffle Fundraiser Winners!
1st - $1200: Wayne B. (Ticket #2792)
2nd - $900: Rachelle J. (Ticket #1744)
3rd - $660: Eileen D. (Ticket #2325)
4th - $500: Seth J. (Ticket #3371)
5th - $400: Nathan P. (Ticket #2971)
Thank you to everyone for your contributions and support for our club!
Keeper needed for the 08 Boys Team
Our 2008 Boys Team is looking for a keeper for the current outdoor season. Please contact Zach Smith at zsmith@ulterra.com if you are interested.
Raffle Winners
Winners are below! Thank you to everyone who participated!
$1,200 – Joan F (Ticket 2720)
$700 – Pam H (Ticket 2124)
$500 – Ashwath R (Ticket 0491)
$300 – Shepherd M (Ticket 1829)
$200 – Nicole G (Ticket 0267)
This year we did 3 $100 bonus draws!
$100 - Sarah R (Ticket 1031)
$100 – Austin W (Ticket 1969)
$100 – Mitch O (Ticket 0609)
2021 Annual General Meeting
Details for our 2021 AGM are below:
Monday November 22, 2021, 6:30pm
Location: Virtual Meeting (Microsoft Teams), Meeting link sent out via Club President and Team Coaches/Managers.
Please consult your team officials if you did not receive the meeting link.
Technical Lead Announcement
We are excited to announce Mark Spiller as our new Competitive (U13-U19) Technical Lead Coach! Mark will be directly overseeing and hands-on with our competitive stream age groups of players and coach mentorship. Mark is a Driller through and through having played his youth years with the 1986' boys group who have a Provincial championship to their names, all the way to being a key scoring figure in having the Drillers men's team promoted to Major League over 15 years ago, with numerous season titles and indoor provincial championships. Along with collegiate (NAIT) and professional indoor (Edmonton Drillers ICMSL)) playing accolades, Mark also coached the 1996' Drillers boys group through their inception at U10 to a National Championship berth in their U18 season. He holds his Provincial C Coaching License, along with experience in Brazilian BFUT certification and experience coaching with the Barcelona Training Center. As an individual who brings plenty of high level playing and coaching experience, we look forward to seeing Mark immersed in our older age groups for technical and tactical support, while mentoring them in the demands to succeed at elite levels!
Technical Lead Coach Announcement
We are excited to announce Santi Muniz as our new Developmental (U8-U13) Technical Lead Coach. Santi will be directly working with "building the foundation" of the club at the young developmental ages. While being a transitional figure for our Grassroots (U8) to Youth (U9-U19) age groups, he will be an important figure in supporting proper development of our younger players, while teaching and supporting our coaches through the key years of player growth.
Santi is also a club man, having played youth with the Drillers on the 1995' team and recently coaching the U17 boys team for a three year period, while supporting the club as a technical coach. Santi has collegiate playing experience with Vancouver Island University and Grant MacEwan universities, but also boasts a strong coaching resume. While also filling various coaching roles for the club, Santi has experience coaching Alberta Soccer Camps and was an Assistant Coach for the Grant MacEwan University Mens Soccer Program for the last 4 years. He also holds various child coaching certifications, has his B-License training and a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Alberta.
We look forward to seeing Santi reinvigorate our young "golden ages" and setting them up for future success as they grow through the club!
Aug. 2021 Raffle Draw Winners
Congratulations to our August 2021 Raffle Draw winners:
$100 – Ashwath R.(Ticket 2386)
$300 – Graem W.(Ticket 2074)
$500 – Barb W. (Ticket 0059)
$700 – Brett G. (Ticket 2472)
$1000 – Michael M.(Ticket 1132)
Technical Lead Coach Positions
Heading into the Indoor 2021/22 season, the Edmonton Youth Drillers Soccer Club is excited to announce two new part-time coaching positions! We are looking for qualified, enthusiastic and motivated individuals to take a lead role in the technical development of our players within the club. Click on each position to read more.
Closing date for the positions is August 22nd, 2021
New President Announcement
The Board is extremely pleased to announce the new President of the club, Kyle Jhamandas. Kyle has been with the club for 15 years as player, starting his journey in the youth program and continuing with the Alberta Major Soccer League team. He has been a coach with the club for 10 years, and has served on the board for 7 years.
Kyle holds his Bachelor of Physical Education & Recreation from the University of Alberta and has 10 years of work experience in sport organizations, including his currently role as the Supervisor of Sport, Fitness and Community Programs at the City of Beaumont.
The club is looking forward to seeing Kyle’s leadership and vision in action as we work through these unprecedented times.
You can view his message here.
Indoor Season Update
All remaining EIYSA 2020-2021 indoor soccer league games are officially cancelled. You can view the statement from EIYSA below.
The Board will have an update on indoor fees for our members early next week.
Thank you everyone for your patience as we navigate these times.