Jamieson Sawka, Ramon Mifflin Furthering Their Coaching Development with Calgary’s Professional Men’s Soccer Club
Providing opportunities for development has been a key pillar for Cavalry FC, on both the playing, coaching and management sides of the club. Throughout the seven year history, the development of players has been well documented from the first ever player sale of Joel Waterman, to the likes of Mo Farsi, Aribim Pepple, Victor Loturi and Goteh Ntignee, who have all made moves across the globe.
While players are recognized, the coaching and leadership sides of the club have also achieved great heights. Former Cavalry Assistant Coach, Martin Nash, was appointed as the Head Coach of York United in 2022. Leon Hapgood took his place at Cavalry before becoming the Assistant Coach at MLS side New York City FC in 2024.
Former Cavalry midfielder Oliver Minatel joined the club’s football operations side as the Head of Recruitment in 2022, before being recruited by Orlando City SC the following year. Vikram Virk oversaw Cavalry’s U21 side in League1 Alberta in 2024, before joining USL side Phoenix Rising as an Assistant Coach.
Jamieson Sawka
Jamieson Sawka is the Performance Manager at Calgary Foothills SC and was invited by Cavalry to the club’s preseason camp in California to assist with video analysis.
“My main priority during camp was handling the logistical side of video analysis. I would film the training sessions and matches so that the team could look back and analyze what needed to be highlighted or worked on. Overall, I ensured to capture everything the coaches needed and did what I could to set them up for success in their details off the pitch.”
– Jamieson Sawka
Cavalry spent ten days in California preparing for the first round of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. Throughout the camp, the squad trained daily, focusing on different elements each day, and took part in two behind closed doors friendlies against MLS side Los Angeles FC and San Diego State University.
“I came back from the trip with a lot of experience and learnings. I realized how much video analysis plays a crucial role for professional clubs, and I would like to take those day-to-day operations back to my role with Foothills. I especially learned how important it is to drip feed information to the players and not give them everything at once, which I can implement across all playing levels to provide more insight into what we’re looking at when reviewing video and information.”
– Jamieson Sawka
Throughout his career, Sawka has been involved in the youth side of soccer, with California being his first experience at the professional level. He plans on applying what he learned in California to his day-to-day practices with Foothills.
“For a professional club to bring coaches like myself in who are around the youth game, it’s very important, especially for the community. It’s a really good step for all of us coaches to be given these types of opportunities.”
– Jamieson Sawka
Ramon Mifflin
Following preseason camp, the squad left for Victoria and Mexico City to take part in round one of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
As part of the first round of the tournament, Ramon Mifflin joined the coaching staff after being invited by Cavalry FC Head Coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. for both legs.
“I’ve known Tommy for over 17 years now, back to when we’d compete against each other as coaches at the youth level. He approached me with the opportunity to join the team as a translator for both legs in Concacaf, and it felt like such an honour to be asked.”
– Ramon Mifflin
Originally from Peru, Mifflin moved to Calgary and has been involved with youth clubs, League1 Alberta, and U SPORTS. He now acts as the Boys Technical Director at Calgary Blizzard SC, and as the men’s soccer Head Coach at the University of Calgary.
“Visiting the Estadio Olímpico Universitario with the club to face Pumas was a wow moment for me. It felt incredibly special, and making the leap into the professional environment was a phenomenal experience.”
– Ramon Mifflin
As soccer continues to develop at all levels across the country, Cavalry aims to commit to the ongoing growth of the sport and values the importance of providing opportunities for development.
“The entire tournament, I felt so welcomed and like I belonged. I wasn’t only used as a translator, but also as a voice and as an opinion in critical match moments, which meant a lot. These opportunities are super important for a professional team to provide, especially in a country like Canada where this sport is still growing. It opens your eyes and makes you a better professional and creates a feeling of motivation to get to the highest level.”
– Ramon Mifflin
The club has added two additional staff to its technical side in 2025. Justin Anderson-Louch played for South West United in his youth career before pursuing his studies at Mount Royal University, and has been appointed as Cavalry’s Video Analyst.
Francesco Bartolilo grew up playing for Calgary Villains and has joined Cavalry as the Head of Youth Development after pursuing his studies at the University of Northern British Columbia.
Cavalry FC Coaching Symposium
In 2024, Cavalry FC hosted its first ever Coaches Symposium, where club staff hosted a workshop for coaches across Alberta to attend over the course of three days at Spruce Meadows.
This symposium allowed for local coaches to learn at the highest level, while being immersed into the Cavalry environment. In fall 2025, coaches will again have the opportunity to register for the symposium, with information to be shared later in the season.