{"id":37457,"date":"2025-07-31T18:24:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T18:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37457\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T18:24:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T18:24:42","slug":"yks-aurora-minor-soccer-league-to-partner-with-sundogs-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37457\/","title":{"rendered":"YK\u2019s Aurora Minor Soccer League to partner with Sundogs club"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yellowknife\u2019s Aurora Minor Soccer League says it\u2019s planning to expand partnerships with other groups to grow soccer in the NWT.<\/p>\n

AMSL is an indoor soccer league that runs throughout the winter with age groups of under-five to under-18. <\/p>\n

In recent years the league had operated independently for the most part. Its new board of directors says AMSL will now take a different approach, such as partnering with the Yellowknife Bay soccer club \u2013 known as Sundogs \u2013 to develop coaches and players.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to ensure that kids who enrol with either AMSL or Sundogs basically have more field time. That\u2019s the whole point of it,\u201d said AMSL president Chris Rayner.<\/p>\n

Rayner has been coaching in the league since 2013. He had experience playing soccer at high school and, after he enjoyed the first year of coaching, decided to stick around.<\/p>\n

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AMSL and Sundogs had occasionally scheduled games together in previous years, but not on a consistent basis.<\/p>\n

According to Rayner, AMSL\u2019s main problem \u2013 enough games but not enough practices \u2013 coincided with Sundog\u2019s wide range of practice times but lack of games, meaning the club often had to take expensive trips southbound to play.<\/p>\n

The two organizations hope working together can develop more players, offer more playing opportunities in NWT and better develop the sport.<\/p>\n

While AMSL is normally considered a recreational league, Rayner stressed that both the coaching and skill level is not to be overlooked.<\/p>\n

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Sundogs<\/a> is one of two competitive teams in Yellowknife, the other being YK Galaxy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have a really good, competitive program that can go south and compete with Alberta and BC and those teams, it has to have a grounding of a really solid and well-run recreational program as well,\u201d Sundogs coach Joe Acorn told Cabin Radio. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe recreational program is the base, and then the competitive program comes out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acorn is the founder of the Sundogs and has been coaching the team since 2009. He has experience playing at college level and won national recognition<\/a> for his work in 2024.<\/p>\n

The partnership between the two organizations will operate throughout the summer and winter seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sean Fleming, a former Canadian national team coach, will offer in-person and online seminar training for players and coaches of both organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past 15-20 years it was rare for a kid to come out of Yellowknife and be able to go south and play on a college or university team,\u201d said Acorn. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing that much more often now, because players are getting better development here in Yellowknife, and there\u2019s no reason why we can\u2019t continue to aspire even higher.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting professional players is like having lightning strike, but there\u2019s no reason we can\u2019t do that here, and that should be our aspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

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