Coaldale’s U15 Thunder FC Boys capture gold at provincial championships after extraordinary season

Sunny South News Photo Submitted by Justin Meyer. MEDALLISTS: Coaldale’s U15 Thunder FC Boys are provincial champions. The boys won the title and a gold medal at the provincial championships August 8-10 in Sherwood Park. The team came together last year and in their first season overcame adversity including several injuries at the provincial championships to win the gold medal.

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

Coaldale’s U15 Thunder FC Boys are the 2025 Alberta Outdoor Provincial Champions. 

They earned that title and a gold medal after downing the Lakeland FC in an exciting 2-1 overtime victory at the provincial championships August 8-10 in Sherwood Park. 

The three-day tournament included four top-ranked Edmonton teams, four top-ranked Calgary teams and two teams from the Sunny South District that included Coaldale’s Thunder FC and a team from Brooks.  

“They had some really good games and had some really hard, good opponents and we knew that going in, that they were going to have some tough competition,” said Justin Meyer, president of the Thunder FC Association. “We had some injuries going into the (gold medal) game,” he added, noting the injuries didn’t stop players from lacing up their cleats and leaving everything they had on the field.    

That included playing five games in 48 hours and going undefeated in the entire tournament. 

The gold medal win in itself is quite an accomplishment but for this team, it’s not the whole story. Through an unwavering display of teammwork, determination and courage in the face of adversity, the U15 Thunder FC Boys demonstrated the true grit and grind make-up of a championship team.  

Under the guidance and leadership of head coach Tom Perks, the U15 Thunder FC Boys team came together at the last minute last year – with players from Coaldale, Lethbridge, Raymond and Brooks – because they all had been cut from a previous team. The young players ages 13 to 15 didn’t let the disappointment of being cut discourage them, but instead used it to fuel their season and motivate them to win a provincial championship. 

“They got cut and they just kept working. Within one season they went on to be the best team in the province in their division,” said Meyer. “The tears they shed in April last year when they were cut were so different than the tears they shed this weekend when they won the tournament.”   

The team practices three days a week at the Kate Andrews field in Coaldale each spring and summer, starting in April. They move indoors to the Shift Recreation Centre starting in October. Although they don’t have regular league play throughout the season, they compete in tournaments and friendly games, noted Meyer. 

This season, the U15 Thunder FC Boys went undefeated in their final 12 tournament games.  

Meyer said the 19 players on the team are a close-knit group, who have strengthened their bond and friendship after going through the experience of being cut from a team to winning a provincial championship and gold medal.  

“These U15 boys are the whole reason the entire Thunder FC club exists,” said Meyer.