Soccer clubs merge

STELLARTON - Teenage soccer players will see a new name on the front of their jerseys this year.
Northern Nova and Pictou County United will merge, creating one organization from mini soccer all the way up to under-18. The new club will be known as Northern Nova United.
"The popularity of soccer in Pictou County is growing rapidly," said Aaron Bryant, the club's president. "There was a need to restructure to keep up with this growth and to continue to enhance our program. By combining club resources, we have been able to create a strong new executive and will be in a position to employ a part-time club administrator."
Mini soccer will remain the same from preschool to under-10 age groups. Players in the under-12 and older groups will try out for the Northern Nova United teams, which will compete on a provincial and regional level.
Bryant said the new league will offer more competitive local leagues for older youths not playing on the Tier II squads.
Other new plans from the groups include the development of a performance academy for players in the under-8 and under-10 age groups. This program would have a provincially licensed coach with an emphasis on developing top future players at a provincial and national level.
Aside from the amped up recreational leagues and academies, Bryant believes creating a single organization will help brand the squads on a provincial level. This way, kids get acquainted with the Northern Nova United program at an early age, and don't take that jersey off until their minor soccer days are done. Previously, the Northern Nova league dealt only with mini soccer, while Pictou United was solely for representative players in their teens.