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Dozens of young soccer players in Edmonton will get a rare chance to brush cleats with the athletes they look up to at an all-star match that emphasizes giving back.
On Thursday, dozens of homegrown professional and semi-professional players who are home for the holidays will play in a New Year’s Day charity game at the Edmonton Soccer Dome.
The third annual 2026 Elite All‑Stars — Feed the Need Charity Game is expected to draw hundreds of spectators.
“To be able to grow as a player, it’s really important for the young players to watch high quality footballers play in front of their eyes,” said Ahmad Majed, founder and head coach of Soccer Elite Academy, who organized the event.
Majed is looking forward to being a spectator Thursday as he cheers on his son, Ali Majed, a centre attacking midfielder with Inter Toronto Football Club, and the many other Elite alumni he once trained.
“I treat every kid out there just like my kid. And I want every kid to achieve the ultimate dreams,” Majed told CBC News Tuesday.
“When you have love for the game and you continue to play, you can achieve anything you want in life.”
Soccer Elite Academy’s Ahmad Majed organized the charity all-star soccer match (Soccer Elite Academy )
Many of the players in Thursday’s game got their start at Soccer Elite Academy, as well as BTB Soccer Academy and Edmonton Scottish United SC.
Striker Yanive Solomon, 19, played for BTB before signing with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Now playing professionally in Germany, he is excited to return to his roots.
“Obviously, we all know that when the game starts, nobody’s friends,” Solomon said in an interview Tuesday.
“I know it’s a charity match, but just the competitiveness that everybody has, like nobody wants to lose the game. But obviously playing with your friends and people that you grew up with — it’s going to be amazing.”
This year’s game includes striker Yanive Solomon who once played for Edmonton’s BTB Soccer Academy and now plays professionally in Germany. (Submitted by Soccer Elite Academy)
Entry is free but spectators are encouraged to bring donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank, along with gently used or new soccer equipment.
Some of those donations will be sent to a grassroots training academy Majed supports in Uganda.
“It means a lot because all I’ve ever wanted to do growing up, and with the platform that soccer has provided for me and the community, is to help people who are in need,” Solomon said.
Joining him on the pitch will be Shaden Al-Asad, 17, an Elite alumni and attacking midfielder with the Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club, who is excited to play with so many high level players while supporting a meaningful cause.
“I find it amazing how the love for the game can bring so many people together to help others out,” Al-Asad said.
Calgary Blizzard’s Shaden Al-Asad is excited to play with so many high-level players at Thursday’s charity match. (Submitted by Soccer Elite Academy)
The event will also give young Edmonton soccer youth a glimpse of the professional soccer dream.
Nine-year-old Elite striker Bodhi Dixon is among 50 kids who will experience the roar of the crowd as they walk the players onto the pitch at the beginning of the match.
Dixon said it leaves him feeling hopeful about his future to meet professional players who started out just like him. He plans to soak up their expertise during the match, paying careful attention to “how to pass really good, and shoot.”
Elite striker Bodhi Dixon, right, is among 50 Edmonton soccer youth who will walk the players onto the field on New Year’s Day. (Submitted by Soccer Elite Academy)
The event is being hosted by Edmonton Scottish Society. Coaching the all-stars are NAIT Ooks coach Jeff Paulus and MacEwan Griffins soccer coach Adam Loga.
Former Ukrainian professional footballer Ivan Romanchak, co-founder of Pro Soccer Contacts, an Edmonton-based agency that provides a professional pathway for players, will emcee the game.
Romanchak said Edmonton soccer is “heading in a very big direction” thanks to world-famous footballer Alphonso Davies, the facilities now being built, the calibre of some of the academies and the upcoming World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
“I think that we can show with this event that Edmonton is not just a hockey city, it’s also a football city,” Romanchak said.
“As well as bringing in all these players from different backgrounds, different clubs, different academies — they’re coming together to support a charity as well. And that really shows the community in Edmonton and the talent on the field.”
Former professional player Ivan Romanchak now runs an Edmonton-based agency creating a path for other players to go pro. (Submitted by Soccer Elite Academy)