To fans of TFC II and the Toronto FC Academy teams, Aidan Daniels is known as a technically sound, rapidly improving 18-year-old central midfielder who also plies his trade for the Canadian National U-20 team. But to the students at George B. Little Public School, Daniels is simply known as “Coach.”
Since early spring until the season concluded recently, Daniels has been volunteering as a coach for George B. Little’s boys’ soccer team. Most days, following his own morning training session, he makes the crosstown journey from the Kia Training Ground to Scarborough for an afternoon coaching session at the school.
“I just wanted to help out and give these kids a good experience,” Daniels explained. “To see them play and the smiles on their faces… it was great.”
The George B. Little Public School soccer team is made up of 18 players from Grades 7 and 8. “Our team lives and breathes soccer,” said Amanda Cummings, a teacher and fellow coach. “And once I told them that Aidan would be coming out to help, they were speechless. Aidan treated every student with respect, pushed them to be better versions of themselves. He even brought cleats for a student who did not own any - that student walked away with the biggest smile.”
Said Daniels, “Some of these kids don’t get the opportunity to play any sports outside of school. So it’s important for them to be happy and just play the game.”
Daniels never sought publicity or compensation for his work and for a long time, his volunteer efforts went unnoticed. But when TFC caught wind of what Aidan was doing, the administrative staff quickly extended the team an invitation to tour the Kia Training Ground. “The boys were in absolute shock when I told them” Cummings recalled, “I wish I recorded their reactions.”
On June 7, the team made their way up to the Kia Training Ground for their special visit. The team took in both the Toronto FC II and Toronto FC training sessions before a personal tour of the facility from Coach Daniels. The team also got a visit from General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko and Aidan’s teammates Malik Johnson and Liam Fraser.
Daniels, a Toronto FC Academy graduate, has spent countless hours at the Kia Training Grounds, but what’s routine for him was magical for his players.
“The boys were in awe,” Daniels said. “For them to experience what I did coming up the ranks, I hope it helps them see what it takes to be a professional.”
Aidan says that he would like to return to coach the team next spring and when asked if he had a coaching style he simply said, “just have fun.”
