Ever wanted to know what L.T.P.D is all about? You are welcome to attend the meeting tonight, 7PM at the Ottawa Citizen. The coaches will be there.
Come and learn how the OSA plans on fixing the current dreadful soccer situation in Ontario (Canada).
As you know I am big and active supporter of LTPD. here is an update from Alex Cheit, CTO OSA. This is all good news. The structure of competitive soccer in Canada, which focuses young kids on winning , is all wrong. LTPD is fixing all this, slowly but surely, or so we hope. Here is a summary of Alex' latest update.
What LTPD really means
It’s perhaps important to re-state a few things about LTPD. We are
absolutely focused on, in conjunction with our Clubs, doing a better job
of developing our young players—whether they want to play strictly “for
fun” or have aspirations to achieve a future in soccer at a high
level. Clubs have done many good things over the years, but it has
become clear that the “winning” mentality had to shift at the early
ages. Far too many Clubs, along with their coaches and some parents,
were driven by game results at the ages of 7, 8, 9 and 10. This has led
to not only poor player development outcomes, but also thousands of
youngsters unnecessarily leaving soccer because they were anxious,
unhappy or simply didn’t have the skills to be able to continue playing
the game comfortably.
Feedback we’ve received
As Maciej says, it's no wonder what we have not made to a WC in 25 years. LTPD is finally addressing all this.
"Why can’t we turn a million kids playing the game in our country into eleven men playing for our country with any kind of success?"
"The last frustrating rattle before Canada starts to get things right. Governance reform is finally beginning, youth development finally being taken seriously. "
"Canadian soccer fans are sick of waiting for the future. It’s that simple.
Tired of finding the positives; exhausted with measuring the tiniest of successes; completely done with trying to sniff out promising little hints of better times to come.
A lot of us (and I’m writing this as a fan, first and foremost) invested the last lingering bits of our emotional capital in the under-23 team during the recent Olympic qualifiers. It looked so promising for a minute, the biggest men’s tournament berth since our one-time World Cup appearance was right there for the taking. We beat the Americans, the heavies of the competition, on their own turf. There’s no better win for any Canadian team in any sport, but this one was especially unlikely and sweet."
Read full article on Sportsnet.
Good news from Alex Chiet, from the OSA.
On February 26, The OSA hosted its annual Coaching Conference in Vaughan. It’s a temptation to always say that the most recent such event was “the best ever”. Those on hand can make that determination for themselves. But it was, at the very least, a great day, with over 400 coaches from all across the province on hand. Rather than make the “best ever” claim—while it hopefully is true — I will focus instead on the excellence and the impact of the sessions delivered by our outstanding guest presenters.
These world-class speakers each delivered timely presentations on the most important opportunity in front of The OSA right now: the effective implementation of Long-Term Player Development (LTPD), which we are in the process of phasing-in.
Dr. David Carr, National Staff Coach for the U.S. Soccer Federation and a renowned educator at Ohio University, conducted a Fundamentals session. Ritchie Wilson, longtime Coach Educator with the Scottish Football Association, delivered a Learning to Train session. Ray Clark, the Canadian Soccer Association’s Director of Coaching, worked with players in the Soccer for Life development stage.
Importantly, these experts, well-respected leaders in the field, re-affirmed that the direction we have embarked upon at The OSA is indeed the appropriate (and much needed) one for our young players across every part of the province. So we are thrilled that the Conference was another key step in educating our membership—and so many of our influential coaches—around the attitude and culture shift we are in the midst of in Ontario soccer.
While, as I’ve remarked previously, we may not be moving quickly enough for some, we are already seeing positive “movement” as more and more Districts and Clubs embrace a player-centered, development stage-specific approach to working with our young players. Importantly, this is being reinforced in our new Physical Literacy Coaching courses, starting with the Active Starts stage at U4, progressing through FUNdamentals, Learning to Train and Soccer for Life. Our hope now is that, armed with the great information provided this past weekend, the hundreds of coaches who were on hand will become LTPD champions and influence and inspire fellow coaches all across the province to work closely with their players—with LTPD values always in mind.
I can add that, in the months to come, we will be sharing with you more information about our progress around the new player pathway and competitive structure. These improvements will enhance the way we deliver the soccer experience, and ensure that, for both our recreational players and those striving for a future in the game, they—and their families—will soon be able to see and experience a clear, unified player pathway that will a) help identify more players for high-level play, and b) also provide a great soccer opportunity for all—for life.
On that note, it was great to see that the OSA Board voted this past weekend to affirm its ongoing support for staff’s efforts around LTPD implementation, with regard to continued progress in future competitive structure planning.
I should mention as well that on Saturday, February 25, our Club Head coaches’ workshop was extremely well received, with over 100 coaches and Technical Directors in attendance from across Ontario.
We also want to remind coaches at all of our Districts and Clubs, if you haven’t already done so, to register now for the new Active Start, FUNdamentals, Learn to Train and Soccer for Life workshops. Information should be available at your local Club or District or on the OSA Website.
Thank you for your continued support.
Regards,
Alex Chiet Mark Marshall
Technical Director Manager of Coach Development
An interesting article republished from the OSA.
"Development is not measured by wins and losses and in fact is measured by the child actually developing their skills. Imagine that, focusing on skills over results. It’s not that results aren’t important but there is a time and place for them.
Most successful models don’t include published standings or "playoff" type matches until the U15-16 age group. Besides, if a kid can’t trap a ball, what good is playing a system that is designed purely to deliver results in the win column? Their lack of technical skill will hold them back as they progress.
Rest assured that the countries using these models are well established football powerhouses.
... if you have a choice between missing a game and a practice, miss the game. For the most part, a child has very few touches on the ball during a game. Yet, put a ball at their feet for a 90 minute training session and you can be assured that there will be marked progress.
The models favoured by these countries suggests that the ratio of training to games should be at least 3:1. Unfortunately, in our current club model of tournaments, Cup games, regular table games, "friendlies" and the like, those numbers would be reversed in a traditional local soccer club.
So, why is the idea of development so foreign to North Americans?
I don’t necessarily blame parents who have grown up in a North American culture of competition and winning. I’m not one who likes the idea of participation ribbons being given out like candy. But that isn’t what we are talking about here.
I also don’t blame parents for being confused as to what their options might be. Soccer clubs have done an historically poor job of educating them as to the various options available to them.
What isn’t confusing is the fact that the current culture and lack of emphasis on development is getting this country nowhere. Canada sits 71st in the world, tied with war-torn Haiti. No offence to the Haitians but for a country with riches, facilities and other advantages, that is an absolute embarrassment.
So, if you are a parent of a good, young (under 14), rep level player. What are your options in Ontario?
Well, if they are extremely good, you can have an open tryout with the Toronto FC Academy. Be warned though, there will be an extreme emphasis on skill development and progress won’t be measured in terms of whether the team is winning.
A second option is the private Academy route. The Soccer Academy Alliance of Canada is an association of private clubs that all subscribe to common ideals. The emphasis is on high quality, paid and certified coaches, superior training facilities, trainers and other staff available to help and most of all on development. For players under 14, games are played but standings are not published which removes pressure from parents. The emphasis on training is significant.
Parents also must follow a very strict code of conduct which forbids "coaching from the sidelines" and other forms of distraction. The parent gets two warnings before they are asked to drop their child off at the pitch and pick them up afterwards or simply take their money elsewhere.
These programs are expensive but most generally run from January through November so the overall cost with a Rep program is comparable if you factor in your tournament costs, etc. Players here have made the jump into TFC Academy and as a result of a stronger partnership with the OSA, are now finding eligibility for Provincial, District and Regional teams.
A third option is the one that most are probably familiar with, playing Rep at a local Club. The standards here will vary so parents would be wise to do their homework. Coaches may be extremely well qualified or have the minimum standard. It is not uncommon for a coaches to be parents of a player. Nor is it uncommon for parents to leave one association for another, sometimes as a result of "poaching." Poaching would be recruiting players from one club to another often based on the promise of shiny trophies. At the Club level, the development emphasis is a bit of a work in progress.
A major philosophical shift needs to change within the Club system. Again, the model follows that of private Academies and they follow the model of successful programs worldwide. Parents of younger players will need to let go of their impulse to scream instructions or relish victories in Cup play. It is a major shift but the will is there.
As for what works best for you and your child, I’d highly suggest doing your homework. I can offer that I’ve been involved with both the Academy programs and the Club programs. Having experienced both I would never go back to the Club environment in its current state.
For us it came down to a simple question. While a club rep team might beat an Academy team at a friendly, is that really a sign of progress? If you lined each up of those kids in terms of basic technical skills and then ask which one is in a system that will allow them the most opportunity to develop between now and the end of the year?
Without technical skill, a player’s potential, and that of our nation, is severely limited. Once we understood that and the differences between programs, the answer was obvious.
I applaud the OSA in its direction. At the same time, until they can successfully oversee massive cultural shift, you can have that U8 parent on your sidelines. I don’t want him interfering with my own child’s development".
