By Louis-Riel Rebelles
Haider Kadhom fell in love with soccer the moment he first started playing in the park as a young boy. Now 16, the Grade 11 Louis-Riel high school student has translated that first flame into regular appearances on some of the biggest soccer stages for athletes of his age.
“I just love playing,” explains the talented midfielder. “I love the passion, and the competition. It just drives me. It makes me want to come back to the field after every game and train more.”
The chance to foster that passion in a setting that embraces high-performance sport pursuit is what drew him to the Louis-Riel sports-études program in Grade 9.
“It’s helped me bring my game to another level,” signals Kadhom, noting the program gives him a leg up on other players. “We get twice as much. We get more touches, more coaching and more time on the field. I think we’re getting something they’re not, and it’s helping us develop at a different rate.”
Kadhom has rapidly built an impressive soccer resume in recent years. That includes topping the Ontario Youth Soccer League standings with his club team, appearing for Team Ontario, and most recently spending several months training with the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Major League Soccer academy this past fall.
“It was a really good experience – very professional,” highlights Kadhom, who’d earlier played in the premiere men’s league locally this summer as a teenager.
“I think I did well considering my age,” says the Ottawa Internationals player. “It was a lot more physical and a lot more physically challenging. I think technically I can manage in that league, I just need to develop more physically.”
With a weight room and an in-house strength and conditioning coach, Louis-Riel provides a big boost in the physical training quest, Kadhom adds, plus a full-size soccer pitch at the Dome LR, which is especially valuable come wintertime.
“It’s amazing. No one else can say they have as much Dome time,” he notes. “It’s huge. That’s what really helps soccer athletes specifically.”
The coaching also sets Louis-Riel apart and goes well beyond the norm in a scholastic setting. What other school can boast a partnership that sees a coach from the fabled FC Barcelona academy working with sports-études players each afternoon? The end product is an inspiring atmosphere, with a culture of students driven to succeed, Kadhom indicates.
“When I first came to the school, it was eye-opening to see all these high-level athletes in different sports with all kinds of ambitions,” recounts the athlete who also practices taekwondo weekly. “Here, everyone shares your goals, shares your passion for different sports. It’s really different from a normal school, and something special.”
Though it’s hard to predict which pitch he may play on after high school, Kadhom maintains his aspirations to reach for the top.
“I want to play at the highest level I can,” he underlines. “I hope it can be as a professional, but I know it can be hard to attain. I just want to keep developing at a high level and go as far as I possibly can.”
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