Cole Clinton '22 Recruiting Profile

I grew up in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories (NWT) of Canada, where the population is only 20 000, and I have been playing soccer since the age of five. There was never much competition for me because there is only one club team in the whole city, where everyone who wants to play soccer goes. I played with our local club and looked for opportunities to develop my skills at home and through summer camps. When I was 11, I was selected as the youngest player to represent the NWT at the Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk, Greenland on the boys u14 team. Playing two years up and against teams from all over the world was my first taste of what real soccer was like. Based on feedback from local and national level coaches and the head of Soccer Canada's player development program, Jason DeVos, my family and I decided to look for a way to get experience playing at a higher level. I tried out for the Vancouver Whitecaps academy in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and was accepted. I traveled to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan once a month for two years until my family and I determined I was ready for a change. We decided that the best thing for my development was to move me to Vancouver to get more competitive exposure.  I played there for two seasons and continued to develop despite the challenges created by COVID-19. In September 2021, I moved to the United Kingdom to train with the FCV International Football Academy in Stamford. I am a starter on both the u19 English College League team and the u21 club team (Midland Football League U21 East).

My two main focuses are to play the highest level of soccer I can, and to pursue my education at a good university. My goal is to get into a NCAA div 1 team with a scholarship, if possible. I work hard in school and train hard for soccer every time I am on the pitch. My experiences traveling to the Whitecaps academy, living with a billet family in Vancouver and now boarding at a football academy in the UK have help me become more responsible, independent and focused on my goals. I am extremely dedicated and mentally strong, and wherever I have gotten an opportunity I have always improved from it and it's why I would be a great candidate for your team.