HFX Wanderers FC head coach Stephen Hart was quite pleased with the turnout of prospective professionals at the first stop of the Canadian Premier League’s #GotGame Open Trials in Halifax, as hopeful young trialists geared up for the first of a two-day affair by running through drills and playing small-sided matches.

Hart, who was on scene along with the rest of the league’s head coaches, spoke to CanPL.ca about the turnout, as well as his expectations for the talent that he hopes to see out of the Maritime region.

“In reality, for a small province, we’ve produced quite a few of the national team players, male and female,” Hart told CanPL.ca, “Players have played in smaller leagues around the world, too. We’ve always had the one, two, three players that can make it, but now, looking at the numbers that have come out of these trials, it’s amazing.

“There are a number of players here that I do not recognize,” he continued. “They’ve come from other parts. I’ve seen some of the other coaches say, ‘Oh, he’s from Winnipeg, he’s from Edmonton.’ People are coming from all over. So that, for me, is positive. It shows that the league has some recognition and people are excited for it.”

While the CPL’s touchline tacticians watch on and take notes as trials lead head coach Alex Bunbury puts the young players through their paces, Hart offered that this opportunity is an important one for his new club, as he seeks local talent for his roster.

But, he warned, there’s more to earning a roster spot than being from Canada’s eastern shores.

“You want to put the most balanced team together … (but) I’m not going to pick a player simply because they are from the Maritimes,” Hart said. “The players that are from the Maritimes that have a chance, they have got to come and compete for a position just like everybody else. Yes, I would like to have a significant amount of players from the Maritime region. That’s very important. But it’s about their will to come out and do what is necessary to get on the squad.”

The #GotGame Open Trials continue in Halifax on Thursday and Friday before heading west to Montreal (Sept. 27-28). You can register for your spot in select cities by visiting canpl.ca/gotgame.