The Huntsville Soccer Club celebrated the end of its recreational season this past Saturday at McCulley Robertson Sports Complex, with final games for all ages from the Timbits to under 12, boys and girls
It also marked the end of a first year in which a new approach to the game was introduced called Long Term Player Development (LTPD). It’s a program put together by the Ontario Soccer Association that puts less emphasis on games but more focus on teaching skills with field sizes and training methods geared to specific development stages.
“We started something similar two years ago with our rep teams and it’s now paying off,” said Haydn Kirby, president of the Huntsville Soccer Club. “This year the LTPD program is more of a festival-style approach to the game. Less focus on winning in a game situation and more focus on skill development and having fun.”
There are modified rules, small-sided soccer games, on smaller pitches, allowing the game to grow as the player grows. The field is divided into eight sections on some nights and players rotate through the different areas learning the skills of the game.
“Rather than traditionally where you have a team on half a field, and practice ten minutes and then have a game as we did in the past,” said head club coach Graham Thompson, “now they go from grid to grid and each emphasizes a different skill. One of the grids has a small-sided game. In the under 10 age group and up we play a full game every other week.”
In order to keep the interest of these kids we need the fun factor. When they come out and play a full game and touch the ball maybe two or three times where is the fun in that? The typical way of playing was to put your biggest kid on defence and the ball came to him and he kicked it down the field. That kid is having fun because he got to kick the ball while the others are out of the field. In the past, with the really young kids, half would be playing and the other half would be picking daisies. Now they’re all running around and everyone is doing something.Haydn Kirby, President Huntsville Soccer Club
The Long Term Player Development is mandated by the Canadian Soccer Association out of a directive from Canadian Sport for Life. Although new to Ontario and Canada, LTPD is not a new concept to the best soccer nations. Spain, England, Germany, USA, South Africa and most professional clubs around the world have already successfully implemented a similar philosophy of player development.
Christine Barkey says her son Griffin has reacted positively to the program. “He is able to touch the ball more often and learn to play the game. It’s not just the aggressive ones on the ball all the time.”
The Huntsville Soccer Club will be doing an evaluation of the program and the modified version the club ran this year. Team officials admit there is mixed reaction amongst the parents but are convinced the kids are more enthusiastic about their experience on the field.
Eventually the Ontario Soccer Association and the Canadian Soccer Association are hopeful it will improve Canada’s performance as well on the world stage. Canada has not qualified for the World Cup tournament since 1986.
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