Kingston FC tryouts - UPDATE

Kingston FC had their first evening of tryouts last night, and despite the blustery weather, a number of prospects showed up.

Unfortunately, due to a recent by-law issue, the West Campus turf field was closed and the lights cannot be used until they comply with local by-laws. As such, the tryouts moved down to Tindall Field on the main Queen's Campus.

The practice began around 6:30pm after a registration session over at Richardson Stadium, and the players were informed of the situation and directed down to Tindall Field.

I got a ride down to Tindall Field with Eric Healey of the Kingston This Week paper, also the official photographer for Kingston FC, and we talked mostly about the miserable weather and what makes a good press release as opposed to a poor one. Once we arrived at the field, the tryouts were underway, with some of the Kingston FC reserve squad players joining in the mix to fill out the numbers that showed up.

Kingston FC tryouts, photo by Eric Healey

The official press release from Kingston FC noted that thirteen players showed up, with about half expected to be asked back for the final session on Wednesday evening (also now moved to Tindall Field from the West Campus field). I watched the sessions for a bit and briefly spoke with both Colm Muldoon (Kingston FC's head coach) and Tom Moran (Kingston FC's assistant coach) about things, and both were careful to give nothing away about their feelings about the players on the field.

While watching the session, it was obvious to me that some of the players were quite good players, listened to the feedback from the coaches and tried to implement their directions, while some seemed to constantly make mistakes, despite being told of them. I also spoke briefly with Jordan Brooks and Joe Zupo from the team as they worked on some of their fitness routines, and they both noted that they were not paying a lot of attention to the players at the moment, other than to note that "Colm is on good form tonight," as he spoke to the various prospects.

The next round of tryouts continue tonight, scheduled for Tindall Field at 7:15pm. Lorne Abugov, Kingston FC's chairman informed me that they would be moving into the ARC's upper gym if the weather continued and the field was not fully cleared. The final day is Wednesday, again at 6:30pm, and is only for those prospects invited from Monday and Tuesday's sessions.