Provincial Urban Soccer Championship

Welcome

St. John’s-Ravenscourt School is privileged to host the MHSAA Urban Soccer Provincial Championships 2018. We are delighted to welcome players, coaches, and families from the qualifying school teams across Manitoba to our wonderful school.

Soccer plays an enormous part in the daily lives of all participating schools; we share an appetite for healthy competition, fair play and teamwork. Soccer is also important to me; I love everything about the sport. Having coached soccer in schools for more than 25 years, I have instructed all kinds of players. Winning is always exciting but nothing compares to hearing a player tell you how much fun they had. I hope the student athletes taking part in this championship will enjoy lots of fun along the way.

Aside from giving me a healthy active lifestyle, soccer has taught me so much. As a youngster, I learned about loyalty while supporting my father’s community team and my beloved Arsenal FC. Growing up, I developed a passion for playing the game. It was on a soccer pitch that I learned how to take risks and accept failure and victory. Win or lose, you do it as a team. You can’t take all the credit but then again you needn’t shoulder all the blame. Soccer showed me that practice is key, and effort is rewarded. Most importantly, it taught me that a positive attitude can inspire others to greatness. I trust that every player will learn something new about him or herself during the championships.

Many people have been involved in planning and managing the championships. A sporting event of this magnitude cannot take place without the involvement of volunteers and the support of the St. John’s-Ravenscourt community. My special thanks go to Dean Wright, our Director of Athletics, Ray Grynol, a major contributor to this event, and Diane Brueton, Jack Turner and Rob Ward, our Varsity soccer team coaches.   

I cannot wait to see the players out on the fields at St John’s-Ravenscourt School; I know they will rise to the challenge and represent their schools with pride and spirit. Good luck to all teams and here’s to a great championship!

Jim Keefe

Head of School

St. John's-Ravenscourt School