Every week, the coaches of the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve soccer club (CSMHM) meet up with young and old alike on the neighborhood fields. Coaches and athletes alike have a great time. Passion is transmitted. The proof? Over the past five years, the number of yellow and blue players has grown steadily. The evolution is impressive.
A club open to all.
"Our policy is to take on as many youngsters as possible. Our aim is to give them access to soccer, pass on our passion and instill the club's values. We accept everyone," says CSMHM Technical Director Jonathan Exilie.
At CSMHM, accessibility is the watchword. With its 1300 members, the club genuinely welcomes all local residents who wish to join. From 4-year-olds to senior citizens, Hochelag residents will discover the pleasure of learning the art of the round ball.
It's in this spirit of sharing that 70 qualified coaches, accompanied by some 30 volunteers, deploy their energies.
CSMHM offers two distinct programs to meet your children's needs and desires. Depending on your availability and means, the club also offers a "training only" program, so as not to deprive those who can't or don't wish to take part in competitions.
competitions.
We train as a group. Goodwill reigns.
"Today, all our youngsters in the same age category train at the same time and are mixed together. They bond more and are used to playing together. At the end of training sessions, we bring all the players together and give a team shout-out. For the older players, we've introduced a foot check: all the youngsters give us a foot check to say goodbye. These little details create an identity and a certain alchemy," confides Mr. Exilie, a former National
1 (France).
For young people wishing to develop their potential, the CSMHM is also attentive to special requests. The coaches put all their energies into helping them. "We want to train young people properly, so that in the end they can go on to play for national clubs or CF Montreal. Above all, we want to instill good values in young people.
A club with great values.
At the CSMHM, we put a lot of emphasis on values. In addition to stressing the importance of effort, hard work and managing emotions in the face of adversity, we focus on a set of eight values. Pleasure is the first of these.
"It's very important for us. Pleasure must take precedence over competition," insists the club's technical director. To this first value must be added respect, creativity, solidarity and determination,
adaptability, intelligence and audacity. "We want to develop athletes who are capable of analyzing a situation and making a decision. They need to develop self-confidence," emphasizes Jonathan Exilie,
We've got our hearts in our hands at CSMHM. You can feel the desire to help local youngsters develop and build themselves through soccer. A supportive, caring club. Soccer is simple. All you need to play is a ball and a pitch. Solidarity is simple too, and that's precisely the club's identity. We want to "contribute to the active life of the neighborhood".
"Soccer is sometimes the only way for these young people to express themselves and learn values. We have to be there for them," concludes the technical director.
More than just a soccer club, CSMHM is a club that looks forward to welcoming you!
"We're not going to force a child who doesn't want to play, but we'll try to make him want to play. That's really important for us. There are some who won't want to play. Not necessarily because they don't like soccer. You have to pay attention to their lives, to external details. It can happen that an athlete has a slump, that he's going through a difficult period.
The idea is not to leave the child to fend for himself," confides Mr. Exilie.
