Former Vancouver Whitecaps star Carl Valentine shared some of his expertise with a group of young players at a Comox Valley United Soccer Club clinic, Friday at the Vanier turf.
Valentine was in town as an ambassador for a KidSport fundraiser last weekend at Crown Isle.
“They (KidSport) do an unbelievable job of making sure kids are involved in sports,” he said. “I’ve been involved in sports all my life. I know what it’s done for me. It’s kind of sad if any child is denied an opportunity because they don’t have the finances.”
KidSport gives a hand up to parents who cannot afford to register their children for sports. Valentine notes that professional organizations such as the Whitecaps, Vancouver Canucks and BC Lions donate tickets to the organization.
“That’s pretty powerful. Any athlete will tell you how that changed their lives,” said Valentine, who hails from Manchester, England. “I’m a United fan. Going to watch United play, how much that motivated me to want to be a professional soccer player. It’s a wonderful organization. I’ve done a number of events with KidSport before, and continue to do that.”
Valentine was a member of the 1979 Vancouver Whitecaps squad that won the North American Soccer League championship. He also played on the national team that competed at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico — the only Canadian men’s team that has qualified for the tournament.
“I’ve been lucky,” he said, recalling the World Cup in Mexico was “unbelievable.”
He said the Valley reminds him of St. John’s, Nfld., where the national team defeated Honduras in 1985 to gain a berth in the World Cup.
“I think half the Honduran fans went to the wrong St. John’s, which was good for us.”
As a player, Valentine was a speedy, skilled forward with a booming shot — a fan favourite back when the Whitecaps played at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. These days, he is the ‘Caps assistant coach of the U16 boys team.
“I’m an ambassador, so we do a lot of events like this out in the community,” he said of Friday’s clinic.
“It’s a beginning of a new era here, and this is a really good way to start it, to bring in a guest coach to run a clinic,” said Stefan Szkwarek of the CVUSC. “We run some excellent programs here. We have some really nice young players coming through, especially in this age group (around 10 years old).”