It was a simple question and in the end so was the answer.

Where are Canada’s great soccer players going to come from?

As it turns out, they were playing soccer at North London soccer fields. Some 170 boys and girls were participating in Academy Garrincha and AG London Soccer Club Premier Soccer International Camp, a camp that began Monday and will run through Friday.

Now, there’s no guarantee all 170 will become great players but when you look at the drills the players were being put through, the skill they exhibited and the coaches who were putting them through their drills on a hot Monday, odds are more than a few will wind up going on to play at a high level.

The camp is all about “the pathway” often discussed in the development of the game and the players involved in it.

The participants all wanted to participate, were screened to ensure their level of ability was good enough to make it useful for them, and the other players, to participate and were being taught by quality coaches from around the world.

The Garrincha Academy head coach is Jose Figueiredo, the bringer of this rainstorm of international coaches. Figueiredo is better known as Garrincha. Garrincha was a Brazilian superstar in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Garrincha was considered the best dribbler in the world and many believe he is among the top players to ever play the game.

London’s Garrincha is often touted as the best teacher of the game in London.

Joining him is Mark Ridgway, coach in the Chelsea system; Francis Tardioli, a youth coach at Arsenal; Bjorn De Neve, a Belgian UEFA “A” license coach; Renato Paiva, the U17 coach at Benfica in Portugal; Jurgen Kok, head coach of academy TOV Baarn in the Netherlands; Jef Vanthournout from Club Brugge in Belgium from U15-U19; Nuno Santos a Portuguese UEFA “A” license coach; and Alberto Garcia, Atletico Madrid women’s coach.

Camps like this one are vital to the development of soccer talent, especially in Canada where the struggle continues to find a system that can be followed to allow players to fulfill their talent. It’s about skill development, not only physical skill but the mental aspect of the game that involves understanding how to play and how to read the game.

When it comes to physical skills, young Canadian players rank with anyone in the world. Ridgway, who has coached with several English club sides, says they are beginning to get the game as well. It’s his third year here and he says he can see changes in how Canadians understand the game.

“Last year I had (the 12-year-olds) and I can see changes,” Ridgway said. “They are more mature, better technically and have a greater understanding of the game.

“(Canadians) are great kids. If you are ticking boxes . . . mental attitude, tick the box; physically, athletically, tick the box; technically, getting better; game understanding, getting better. The problem is (players) aren’t exposed to top opposition and that’s going to make it hard but in terms of everything else they do great.

“It’s such a pity there isn’t a development pathway after a certain age, something they can aspire to so I know if I’m a good player, I can get to there and my next step, then I can get there too. (Canada’s) pro game isn’t big enough I would think.”

The camp isn’t just for locals. Two groups have come in from Toronto as well as several individual players from other areas of the province. Attending high performance camps like this one is a necessary step in the long-term process of learning the camp.

While every country in the world plays competitive matches, most countries recognize that training and learning are more important. In England, teams in the younger age groups play games but don’t keep scores or statistics. It’s a process that has started in Ontario but it’s getting a rough ride by a short-term, results-oriented society.

Ridgway says even young English players have had to be re-educated in how to read the game.

“The focus is contact time (with the soccer ball,)” Ridgway says. “To be an elite player you have to have 10,000 hours under you. The quicker you get to 10,000 hours the better it is. We’ve had to take our teams to European competition to learn the game better. Our understanding of the game wasn’t good enough. We’re fortunate. We can go to Barcelona with our youth teams because it’s only an hour away. It’s a lot different for Canadians.”

After years of skill development the ultimate goal is to get to the top of the pyramid, a goal that entices players to stay in the game and work harder.

“The quality is there for us,” Ridgway says. “Chelsea’s U19 team won the Champions League and they were all British players except for two. The way we sell it to our youngster, ‘you come to a top club and we’ll try and make sure you get a professional career out of it.’ It may not be the Premier League but there are so many professional clubs in Europe that there are places for you to go and develop.”

Ridgway says there’s no reason it can’t be the same for top Canadian youth players if they continue to work at the game.

“You see that group over there,” Ridgway says pointing to a group of 13-year-old girls. “They are the best I’ve seen. The development of your women’s program is tremendous. Canadians need to know that. You need to shout it to the heavens, get excited about it.”