Soccer’s progress on the international stage mirrored at home in Tillsonburg

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

The beautiful game continues to look even better in Tillsonburg, mirroring recent advancements on the international stage.

“We’ve gone further than we’ve ever gone,” said Tillsonburg Minor Soccer Club (TMSC) President Frank Deutsch, citing Canada’s first men’s team world cup wins, a tie and advancement to the round of 16. “So that’s awesome.”

Growing up as a ‘soccer guy’ in a nation which had far more ‘hockey guys’ at the time, Deutsch is pleased to see this year’s World Cup encourage more recognition of the men’s game and soccer overall than during any point in our history. The Canadian women’s team has already forged a strong legacy, their male counterparts made their presence felt with an exciting World Cup run concluding with a tough loss to Morocco.

Against that backdrop, building critical competitive soccer mass to select talent from and provide opportunity to grow and develop toward the women’s World Cup next year and the men’s event three years beyond that continues at the grassroots level.

TMSC serves over 1,400 soccer players in Tillsonburg, house league, competitive and adult programs working together to provide a variety of opportunities on the Tillsonburg Minor Soccer Park’s multiple pitches.

“We use every field every night,” said Chair of House League Operations Jenn Bakker. “Monday to Friday, we utilize every field that is there.”

Roughly 750 youth are involved at the house league level she says, beginning with a parents-and-tots program for 18-month to two-year-olds, and running up to U15. In general terms, players up to the U6 level are on the field once a week, those beyond, twice.

Participation suffered during COVID says Bakker, but numbers are continuing to rebuild.

“We had the largest U15 program group we’ve had in 20 years.”

TMSC also offers adult programming. Fridays are reserved for co-ed play in A, B and C divisions, the first the most competitive, the second less so and the latter, more for recreational for those over 35. A dedicated Sunday evening women’s league continues to grow, expanding to six teams from four during its inaugural 2025 season.

“And we’re probably going up to at least eight next year,” said Bakker. “It’s been a really popular thing.

“It gives them a bit of women time, fun and exercise,” added Bakker, who along with Kalleigh Bakker, is one of three mother-daughter tandems on her squad.

TMSC offers two house league seasons, the summer program running from May to mid-August, a fall counterpart beginning then and going through to mid-October. As well as being stand-alone opportunities, the house league can be a feeder and call-up system for TMSC competitive program teams playing in the Elgin-Middlesex District Soccer League (EMDSL).

“We work well together,” said Deutsch. “If kids want to do more, they move on to the competitive side.”

Under Chair of Competitive Program Mark Locker, TMSC fielded two boys’ teams in each of the U8, U9 and U10 EMDSL Divisions this year, along with U11, U13 and U15 squads. There are two U10 girls’ entries along with representation in the U8, U13 and U16 age groups.

“Five years ago, we had three competitive teams,” said Deutsch. “And now we have 15.”

Beyond numerical growth, the TMSC club is striving to promote individual and collective player development, in line with its motto of creating better people as well as soccer players. The organization has sourced the services of Jose De Figueiredo’s Academy Garrincha under club head coach John Twinem to enhance soccer skills through training and coaching clinics.

In building and supporting competitive opportunity for area players, the club is also providing a strong base for those who may wish to take their game to an even higher level.

“And we’re okay with that,” said Deutsch.

TMSC also supports entries in the Middlesex Masters over 35 Division II and over 45 Division I, the London & Area Women’s Soccer League Division III, and the men’s Western Ontario Soccer League Division II.

In short, a sport being embraced and played well at the international level, is also doing very well in Tillsonburg.

“Proud to see Canada doing so well,” concluded Deutsch, a lifelong ‘soccer guy’ trying to give back to a sport which offered him so much. “And doing our part to make soccer in Canada better.”