The Shuswap Youth Soccer Association hosted the European Football School (EFS) spring camp March 19-23, bringing some of the top players from around the region together to receive mentorship from expert soccer coaches.
Saibo Talic, founder of the EFS and former professional player and coach, has been offering his skills and knowledge to soccer clubs throughout B.C. for 18 years now. Founded in 2000, the school began with a humble roster of 40 students, growing throughout the years to reach over 12,000 students across the province.
At the tender age of 64, one might not expect Talic to be able to keep up with the youthful athletes he trains. However, to him the embodiment of a good coach is one that can demonstrate the skills they expect players to learn.
“I usually take the best players to play against me. I’m 64, but the first thing I do is to send the ball through his legs or fake him, dribble him,” Talic says. “This is what I can offer: skills. I didn’t get 12,000 kids through the program just because of my broken english. I always say, look at my body, don’t listen to what I’m saying.”
Originally from Bosnia, Talic has been involved in high-level soccer since he was 16 and was drafted onto the Bosnian U21 professional team at 17. He became the youngest coach in the former Yugoslavia at 28, beginning a career that would take him to Canada to coach the Capilano University soccer club, among others.
Since becoming a coach, Talic seems to have found his true niche in the world of soccer, teaching not only athletic skills but things like sportsmanship, respect and dedication.
“I am so glad to give them this opportunity to become good sportsmen, to become good leaders. This is what you do to build a healthy person, not just a soccer player, you build good human beings,” he says.
The core of the EFS soccer training focuses on four aspects: skills, game knowledge, physical ability and commitment. Talic hopes to show prospective soccer pros that the best players in the game bring a balance of these four things to the table.
“When you meet a player that fits each of these four wheels, that is your carry player,” he says. “You have players with excellent skills, but less physical ability, then you have players who have all these things but no commitment, no desire. You can’t wake up and open the door and say ‘oh no, it’s raining, I can’t go to practice’ and expect to make progress.”
As to the training Talic can offer young athletes on the field, Kevin Harrison of the Shuswap Youth Soccer Association believes the EFS programs are second to none.
“If you could find another camp in Canada where kids can get this level of coaching, I would be surprised. He makes sure they all get the proper attention,” Harrison says.
The camps are run twice a year in Salmon Arm, along with many other cities throughout B.C.. The end-game of the EFS program is to select the best handful of players from each region and allow them to join the coaches on trips to Europe and the U.S. to train with top-level players at soccer clubs in those countries.
As a result of the connections these players make overseas, Talic has been able to provide players with opportunites to be signed to European professional leagues, even making it so far as the FIFA World Cup.
