The Va. Blackwatch Celtic formally the Stafford Celtic is an extremely competitive soccer team that is based out of Stafford, Virgina. The team was formed in Spring of 2006 has grown from strength to strength over the past two years. It is made up of players from the Fredericksburg, Stafford and Prince William areas.  The Fall 2008 season will see the boys move to U-13 and play in the 11 V 11 format for the first time.  They will continue to train at the Fredericksburg Fieldhouse and home games will be played at Kinchloe field in Springfield.  The team will compete in Div 1 of the Old Dominion Soccer League.  

The team continues to be coached by John O'Driscoll from Ireland and Eric Johanson.  John holds a National D License a NSCAA regional goalkeeper coaching license and both the NSCAA Regional and Advanced Regional Soccer coaching Licences while Eric has been ever present in SASA coaching successfull teams of various age groups from Rec thru Travel.

This year has seen the boys progress rapidly in their development and enjoy much success on the field.  Having started the season as runners up in the PWSI Icebreaker tournament the boys went on to win their Richmond Colonial Cup Division and on the last day of the season clinched the ODSL Div 1 title in emphatic style.  The success has also continued past the season with several of the Celtic players being picked to play Super Y league and more recently with several players being invited to train in Europe with Chelsea FC.  What a year!  The Celtic has a lot of chemistry and are looking to continue their success in the near future while continuing to really enjoy this great game. The team is made up of a complementary group of players that are dedicated to the game of soccer; players who work hard on and off the pitch to provide great entertainment for their parents and fans. 

Please check back to keep up to date with all the team's activities throughout the season and check out our announcements on tryouts or open scrimmages.

Updated 7/10/08

JUST A THOUGHT:   As the saying goes there's no friendly soccer game, you have to let the young kids play, but on their own terms.  The kind of pressure adults bring is not always welcome.  Soccer is a game that is played for enjoyment but the kids also want to win, so you have to strike a balance where parents should encourage their children to enjoy playing soccer and let the coaches introduce the relevant competitiveness gradually.