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Tournament Mourns Loss

Tom Fleck was my coach at Lehigh and he was the first one to take an American team to Toronto to play West Rouge in a mini-Tourney that became our Annual Can-Am Friendship Tourney (see HISTORY page).

Please share this with your team and say a silent thank you to Coach Fleck for all he did to start up our tourney and to support the sport we all love so much.

Rich Chambers
LV Old Timers

 

Soccer Friends,

I am passing along some sad news in honor of Tom Fleck a legendary US Soccer Coach that I had the good fortune to be mentored by and share many great soccer and personal memories with when I played college soccer with his son Derek Fleck at West Chester University and spent winter/spring breaks at their Florida residence.....

US Youth Soccer - News

US Youth Soccer mourns the loss of Dr. Thomas Fleck

Dr. Thomas FleckDr. Thomas Fleck, long time coaching educator, died Saturday, December 24, 2011.

For more than 40 years, Dr. Thomas Fleck has fostered the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of America's youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition, the mission of US Youth Soccer.

Fleck was recognized for his service as the inaugural recipient of the US Youth Soccer Excellence in Youth Coaching Education Award in 2005. The Excellence in Youth Coaching Education Award was designed to honor a lifetime of dedication where one has with integrity, honor, humor and humility made extensive and far reaching contributions to the process by which youth soccer coaches are educated in America. The award was named after Fleck.

"Dr. Fleck's impact on our sport was profound," said Sam Snow, coaching director of US Youth Soccer. "Tom educated and influenced generations of American soccer coaches and was a pioneer in the growth of our sport during the 'soccer boom' of the 70s and 80s. I was exceptionally fortunate to have had Tom as a mentor and he was a close friend as well. His passing is a loss to soccer in the USA."

The former Youth Coordinator of the U.S. Soccer Federation, Fleck was one of the original National Staff Coaches with U.S. Soccer and served as an instructor for U.S. Soccer for 30 years. Recognized as the leading authority on youth soccer development and education, Fleck was the primary author of the National Youth License as well as the US Youth Soccer Assistant Coach Series, The Official US Youth Soccer Coaching Manual and Parent Coach Primer that are still used by coaches across the nation and specifically in the various State Association coaching courses. Fleck also worked as the director of coaching for the Florida Youth Soccer association and the Idaho Youth Soccer Association, both proud members of US Youth Soccer.

One of the most widely recognized members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA); Dr. Fleck was presented the 2004 Honor Award for a lifetime of service from the NSCAA, the association's most esteemed award, in 2005. President of the NSCAA for two years (1984 and 1982), Fleck was instrumental in the establishment of the NSCAA Academies, the association's soccer coaching education division. He served as a member of its teaching staff for more than a quarter of a century. He also represented the U.S. Soccer Federation as the technical advisor for the 1980 World Youth Championship in Tunisia, as well as the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States. In 2004, Fleck received the Walt Chyzowych Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching Education.

Fleck was the general manager of the Philadelphia Fury in the North American Professional Soccer League from 1979 to 1982. He was a professor and head men's soccer coach at Lehigh University from 1965 to 1978. Fleck was a collegiate All American at West Chester State in Pennsylvania. He was inducted into the Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame in 1996.

The family celebrates his life and as Tom would say, "Let them play!"

A memorial service will be held in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday, January 21. Further details will be published on www.drfleckfoundation.com.

Mark Mallon - The Soccer Institute

WELCOME

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you to yet another Can-Am Friendship Tournament.  Who could have imagined that a small tournament held 35 years ago, could have grown into the symbol of friendship and camaraderie that it is today?  This tournament is about more than just playing soccer. It’s about growing the special bond that exists between Canadians and Americans.  All you have to do is speak to someone like Alex Galbraith, who continues to attend the tournament every year on behalf of West Rouge.  He has seen how this tournament has fostered lifelong friendships between people who otherwise would never have crossed paths.

This year, we welcome three new teams into the fold. I am confident the players from Gloucster OTSC, Niagara Falls and Valhalla will quickly realize just how special this tournament is.

While we have plenty of time to spend together over the weekend, I hope you will also take the time to explore the City of Kingston.  I’m confident you will agree with me that it is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada.

So, here’s to another great weekend and please remember that “it’s a friendship tournament”!

Cheers,

Rob McDonald
Cataraqui Soccer Club President

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