EVERETT – For most sports fans in this country, the word “Celtic” conjures visions of NBA legends like Bob Cousy, Bill Russell and Larry Bird.
But to much of the world it refers to soccer, not basketball.
Along with Manchester United Football Club of England, Celtic FC of Glasgow, Scotland, is one of the best-known, most widely supported athletic teams on earth. Easily recognized by its emerald green and white-striped jerseys, Celtic boasts loads of tradition (the team was founded in 1888) and has won 40 Scottish League championships.
The squad is so beloved that its stadium, the 60,832-seat Celtic Park, is commonly called “Paradise.” In light of the team’s widespread notoriety, last week provided a thrill for local youth soccer players because a former Celtic player and four of his Scottish pals who represent the organization visited Everett for a five-day camp at Kasch Park.
Sixty boys and girls ages 11 to 17 paid $300 each to attend the camp, hosted by Evergreen Soccer Academy of Everett. The event was part of the international Celtic in the Community program, which made its Pacific Northwest debut and has exploded in popularity since it began three years ago. It caters to kids who “are pretty serious” about soccer, Evergreen program director Mike Bergstrom said.
The cost is great compared to some other week-long camps, but it could be a wise investment for players who aim to reach an elite level. “We’re hoping this is a long-term thing to help develop our best players,” said Bergstrom, who expects the Celtic program to return next year.
About 40 of last week’s campers play for Evergreen, while others compete for other local clubs. A few came from as far away as Canada to learn, as Bergstrom said, “how to play the Celtic way.” The emphasis is on mastering ball possession, playing with passion and having fun, especially for younger campers.
“The response has been great … and their behavior has been incredible. So hopefully they’ve learned a few things on the (field) and they’re going to practice that,” camp coach Brian McLaughlin, a Celtic outside midfielder from 1990-1999, said Thursday.
McLaughlin, 32, of Glasgow, still plays professionally for Stenhousemuir FC in Scotland and he seems to enjoy sharing his expertise. Near the end of the morning session Thursday at Kasch Park, he clutched a stopwatch and a clipboard and eagerly timed youngsters who dribbled around a series of cones, one of several skill stations campers did during the week.
On Friday, McLaughlin and the other Scottish coaches – David McLean, Mark Conroy, Ryan Smith and Mark Reid – gave campers evaluation sheets that included positive feedback, tips for improvement and a series of do-it-yourself exercises designed to help them hone their talents long after the camp ends.
“Most of the drills we do they can do on their own,” McLaughlin said, “and we try to emphasize that you don’t always need a coach. They can motivate themselves.” Camper Robert Hawes, a senior at Kamiak High School, said the Celtic coaches were enthusiastic and helped fine-tune his game: “Everything they’re trying to teach me, I kind of already know about, but I don’t know how to sharpen up on (certain skills). They’ve been really helping me with that: the basics and kind of expanding from that.” Caitlin Calhoun, also a Kamiak senior, liked the camp because she learned “new techniques and new styles of play, which brings another element to the game that gives you options.” McLaughlin wants Celtic’s inaugural Northwest trip to become a regular tour stop.
“We’re hoping this is just the start of a blossoming relationship where it’s not only ourselves coming over here,” he said. “It’d be great if ourselves and (Evergreen Soccer Academy) could form a partnership where they could bring teams over to Scotland.” That could happen as soon as next summer. A plan is already in the works, Bergstrom said, to send two academy teams to Scotland in August 2007.
Until then, local players should probably find a way to decipher the Celtic coaches’ thick Scottish accents.
“I remember the first day (of camp) in the first five minutes they said, ‘OK, grab a ball and go,’ and everyone just stood there because they had no clue what (the Scottish coaches) were saying,” said Calhoun, whose parents have an overseas connection that directly led to Celtic’s trip to Everett.
But the ever-positive McLaughlin said sometimes the accent actually helps his cause: “I think it makes them focus more.”
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