OTTAWA-GATINEAU - Ottawa Fury FC announced today the addition of two talented local players to its 2019 USL Championship roster. Midfielders Cameron Shaw and Antoine Coupland have both signed with the team on a USL Academy contract, making them eligible for selection in league games while protecting their amateur status and scholarship eligibility.
Antoine Coupland (left) & Cameron Shaw (right) | Photo: Freestyle Photography “Shaw and Coupland will be fantastic additions to our roster,” offered Fury FC Head Coach Nikola Popovic of the signings. “They have shown great promise, and through their training sessions with us, have demonstrated they can contribute while continuing to grow as players. We look forward to seeing where this experience can lead them.”
Antoine Coupland is a midfielder from the St. Anthony’s Futuro Soccer Academy. At only 15 years old (15 years and 6 months), he becomes one of the youngest Canadian to sign a contract with a professional soccer league, right behind now Canadian superstar and Bayern Munich player Alphonso Davies and Toronto FC II Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. Coupland had been training with Fury FC for just over a month, showing his skill and quick understanding to coaches and teammates alike.
Originally from West Ottawa Soccer Club but having most recently featured with FC Gatineau, Cameron Shaw is an 18-year-old midfielder who had also been training with Fury FC over the past month. Shaw will look to make the most of his experience with Ottawa until he leaves for Spring Arbour University, in Michigan, where he has already committed and received a scholarship.
“We are thrilled to have Antoine and Cameron join our club,” commented Fury FC General Manager Julian de Guzman. “Not only are they both talented, up-and-coming players, but they are a great representation of what we are trying to build within the community, connecting the different levels to provide opportunities to local clubs and their high performing, driven athletes a chance to shine.”
“This first step brings me great pride,” added de Guzman. “Knowing we will get to help these two local athletes continue to develop on their path to professional soccer is what this club, and our affiliation program, are all about.”
Fury FC’s commitment to local soccer community continues to grow
Launched this past January, the Ottawa Fury FC Club Affiliation Program has established firm roots, and the club’s success in reconnecting with the local soccer community is showing great signs of growth. By providing support to players, teams and clubs through learning and teaching resources, tournaments and festivals, and talent identification opportunities – just like the ones that led to Antoine and Cameron earning a spot with the pro club – Fury FC has solidified a growing network throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
The program, designed to grow through the years, works with community clubs, independent academies and local soccer organization through three main pillars: sport development and community support; access to professional soccer; and brand and marketing enhancement. With a dozen of local soccer organizations already on board from launch, the success of the program has garnered interest from more with a handful new affiliated and network clubs expected to join before the end of the year.
The latest to join the Fury FC Club Affiliation Program is St. Anthony’s Futuro Soccer Academy, Antoine Coupland’s originating club. As a newly affiliated organization, Futuro’s players and coaches will get to take full advantage of the program’s benefit right away, including a free ticket for each registered player for all remaining Ottawa Fury FC home matches where they could see their former club mate make his pro soccer debut.
Clubs and associations administrators interested in learning more about the Ottawa Fury FC Club Affiliation Program and its benefits can visit furyintraining.com for an overview of the program and contact information.
Fury FC back in action this Friday
Now with two new members available for selection, Fury FC will travel to New York this Friday to face New York Red Bulls II (KO 7 p.m., watch at OttawaFuryFC.com). Ottawa and NYRBII last battled to a 1-1 draw at TD Place on May 8 in front of a boisterous crowd of 6,807 local school students. Fury FC returns home on July 14 on the annual Dog Day Afternoon match as it hosts Louisville City FC.
For full schedule details, and to get your tickets, visit OttawaFuryFC.com
