Edmonton soccer coach gives youth the chance to live the dream he never could

On a gleaming indoor pitch, Edmonton coach Ahmad Majed watches Amelia Burata unleash a thunderous kick, driving the ball into the net.  

Burata, 11, has trained with the founder of Soccer Elite Academy for half her life but it’s their first practice together on Elite’s new field.

“It’s beautiful – even when it's snowing outside, I can come here, train and up my skills and do it without freezing,” Burata told CBC News.

“Ahmad is giving the opportunity to kids like me and other kids to step on to this field, join this academy, and then work as hard as they can to become a great soccer player.”

In October, Elite celebrated the launch of their new home — the Athletes Hanger —  just across from the NAIT campus where Majed once played.

The spacious two-level former curling rink now houses both a training and recovery room, and areas for physiotherapy and a cafe.

Lizoux Gerriel Ouanda, 11, said his fitness knowledge, dribbling and shooting have significantly improved since joining Elite when it kicked off six years ago, along with his older brother, who is now a coach.

“Overall, they’ve just been helping me a lot. And I'm really thankful,” Ouanda said. "Everyone here is nice. They're welcoming. They're also funny and they treat me really well."

In 1993, a 14-year-old Majed played for Lebanon’s national team until war drove his family from Lebanon to Fort McMurray.

“I was born and raised with a ball at my feet and there's no ball but all these fields, beautiful fields, no ball,” Majed told CBC News.

“I had no one to turn to at that age. I really didn't know anything. I really didn't know anybody. I couldn't speak the language. I love to play football, but there's no football.”

In an international friendly the following summer, a