Vancouver Whitecaps FC are offering families in Burnaby, BC, the opportunity to house some of its rising stars.
With the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency program entering its second season, the club are still looking for Burnaby-based families to help billet its young and talented players.
Billeting a Whitecaps Residency player gives you and your family a chance to build a lasting relationship with a dedicated athlete looking to pursue a career in professional soccer. Families get the chance to learn about the game of soccer from the perspective of the player and his unique position on the Whitecaps Residency team, while having the chance to see that player grow in confidence and ability over a short period of time.
"The billet families play a central role in the development of the players because they are the main support for the player when they are based here in Vancouver," said Whitecaps director of professional teams Greg Anderson. "They're the ones that see them when they leave in the morning and when they come home in the evening. It's essential for the development of the player and the success of the program that we have people in place that are passionate about what we are doing."
As a Whitecaps Residency Billet Family, you not only get the chance to share your home and family with an aspiring professional soccer player, you will also receive two season tickets to all Whitecaps men's and women's matches, and a monetary compensation of $750.00 per month. Billet families' responsibilities include providing the player with his own room, three nutritious meals per day, and making the player feel at home and part of your family.
In the last year, the billeting program has had particular benefits for families that are actively involved in soccer. "To have players placed with soccer families makes a huge difference because the families understand that this program is one of a kind, and that the players are future stars," Anderson said. "It's a benefit to those families because they know that they are doing something to develop the stars of the future for the Whitecaps and the Canadian national team. Last year, a couple of the families had young children and they really liked the fact that these players were role models for their kids. The players train up to six times-a-week, play games, and go to school in what is a very busy schedule. When the families' kids saw how hard they were working, it provided them with a great role model, so the families really valued that component of the program."
For information on becoming a Whitecaps Residency Billet Family, please contact Alison Hogg at (604) 669-9283 Ext. 2281 or email ahogg@whitecapsfc.com.
Click here for more information on the Whitecaps Residency program.
