The Province , March 27, 2002
By Howard Tsumura

Sports Reporter

Everyone has his idea of the soccer camp that most would enrich his child.

Tony Pensato couldn't find what he felt was the best program for his son.

So, a few years ago, the ICBC project manager launched an internet investigation in the hope that something unique would turn up.

The result: Pensato formed the Excel Soccer Program and signed an affiliation contract with AC Parma of Italy's top level - Serie A.

This past week, Bruno Redolfi, a senior Parma instructor from the Lazio region of Italy, headed up a camp in Burnaby for 150 players 8 to 15.

It's the second straight year that Parma coaches have come to the Lower Mainland to share their methods - which involve intensive drills in ball skills - with local players. Another camp is planned for August.

"We've all been brought up the same way - the North American-English kind of way," said Pensato, 39. "I wondered if there were other styles in the world and how they teach kids in other countries."

Pensato, who played at SFU and is a former draft pick of the NASL's Tampa Bay Rowdies, works with Parma's North American representative to introduce technical aspects of the game through Parma's Scuola Calcio (soccer school).

With an eye on uncovering talent, Parma has started camps similar to the one in Burnaby in eight U.S. cities.

Its involvement in Italy includes links with 350 clubs and 75,000 youths.

The Scuola Calcio website (soccerkix.com) provides training tips and drills, and allows e-mails to Parma instructors.

Pensato says he was not satisfied with the kinds of drills he was seeing in other camps.

"You'd just have everybody kicking a ball into a net," he said. "With the Parma coaches, it's different drills than North American kids are used to - very technical things which they might not pick up until they are 13 or 14 years old."

Pensato admits that his view of soccer-skill development might not be politically correct but he's determined to have children experience the passion of other soccer cultures.

"I played in Italy in 1987," he says. "It was a club team, about fourth-division level, in the town of Cianciana, which has about 5,000 people. It was small-time but to see the passion even at that level was fantastic. It was my first taste of European soccer and the way they went nuts for it."

Pensato stresses that the aim of the camp is to provide an enjoyable environment with an emphasis on skill development.

One offshoot is that Parma will provide 16 selected 13-year-olds an all-expenses-paid trip to a tournament in Italy.

"I want these players to see the passion in other parts of the world," Pensato says.

"This trip to Italy will be an eye-opener for these kids. They'll see soccer in a light they probably never would have otherwise."