Aurora FC U15 Girls celebrated at Council after winning Provincial title

The Aurora Football Club's U15 Soccer Team was celebrated by Mayor and Council last week after taking the Provincial title in indoor soccer in March.

The club took top honours at the Aurora Sports Dome earlier this spring after coming together under the guidance of coach John Tzanis, who said the team has been undefeated since the fall.

“We built a team from nothing,” says Tzanis, referencing the team's foundations in September of 2025. “I was shocked and surprised at the quality of the practices. So intense, the most intense team I've ever seen.

“I was just this mentality, this faith, this hope. The girls started winning and winning and winning to a point where we haven't lost a league game now since October of last year…. Then, a few weeks ago, we won this thing. Part of it is a thank you to Council because without the facilities you've built, there's no way we could have trained like we do, and so intensively and safely because of the fields you've built. These artificial turf fields allow us to play for hours and hours and repeat and not get injured. It's because of what you've done that we say thank you.”

Council members, in turn, heaped praise on the team – and gave special congratulations on how far they have come in such a short period of time.

“I had the luxury of coming by and watching one of your practices on the weekend, a firsthand experience watching the girls play with a coach…. I was just going to stay a few minutes and just say ‘congratulations,' and I ended up staying almost half-an-hour watching in intrigue and excitement, just to see the dedication that the girls had,” said Ward 5 Councillor John Gallo.

“I was really interested in how the coach was organizing them and how they responded to it. I think that's probably one of the keys to success is how you take coaching and what you do with it. John, you're a perfect example of someone who elevates that role. It's no doubt they're successful as a result of your participation.”

Added Ward 4 Councillor Michael Thompson: “It really is just a special moment. I hope you all cherish it very much and wish you congratulations, and it is truly a team approach.”

Councillor Thompson also directed kudos to the girls' parents and their efforts to make the team a success as well – as did Ward 1 Councillor Ron Weese.

“I can tell you that every team has a special set of parents as well because those parents support the kids,” said Councillor Weese.

“It doesn't happen without you as well,” added Mayor Tom Mrakas, addressing the parents. “Getting up in the mornings, taking them to practice, out at nights, or whatever, you're taking that time to make sure that they have the ability to be able to go out and practice. Thank you for everything that you do, and each one of you girls, you should thank your parents for everything that they do for you to make sure you're able to be there and be the champions.

“Sometimes in sports, everything just comes together at the right time, and that's from the stories that I'm hearing is that's what's happened. You have an incredible coach, you have talented individuals that when you put them together with the right coach and the right parents, everything just gelled at the right time…. You guys did something that is so incredible that this entire Town will be proud of you for a long time.”

Congratulations were also extended by Ward 6 Councillor Harold Kim who asked Tzanis share his “secret sauce” in helping the girls “gel as a team.”

“In soccer, you're either really good at strategy and games, or you're good at tactic and teaching them how to play the technical side, so I think you've got both,” Tzanis replied. “On the technical side, I know how to teach them to use both feet, how to score goals, and just to become a good soccer player. I also tell them to get private training once in a while. On the other side, the tactical side, I'm a problem solver. I see a problem and I look for a solution and I find the solution. I study it. I watch every game. Coaches share information with each other, and then if you can present that information to the girls and they buy in and they focus on that, that's how this happened because this should have never happened so quick and so fast because most of these girls were not the stars of their team…

“It's the environment that you create for them, makes them winners, makes them champions.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiatve Reporter