Canadian Soccer League

CSL CLUBS KICKOFF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

2010-09-01

CSL clubs will work with community based youth clubs to deliver the program

The Canadian Soccer League is continuing its work to link promising young players to professional soccer and those interested should contact the nearest CSL club for further information.

Most of the current CSL clubs already provide professional academy-style training for youth through related programs or affiliated youth clubs.

The CSL has recently established minimum standards for programs offered to youth by its member clubs to ensure a standardized approach to delivering the highest quality training in CSL communities. These standards will continue to evolve as the CSL works with the CSA and OSA to develop an elite training system that will best service athlete development, as well as national/provincial team programs.

CSL clubs will work with community based youth clubs to deliver this new exciting and progressive program while adhering to the CSA’s Wellness to World Cup, Long Term Player Development framework.

Commencing in the 2010/11 indoor season, CSL clubs will offer youth soccer development programs for both boys and girls from ages under-12 to under-18, starting in mid November. The two-year age groupings will reduce the athlete pools to the top youth prospects, and include regulations to ensure that equal representation is achieved by both ages in each grouping.

The academy-style programs, which will run for 10-months of the year and include an outdoor season as well, are structured to provide high calibre skills training, professional development for promising players wanting to accelerate their progress in the sport, and regular competition amongst the CSL member clubs’ academies. The year-round program is intended to address the longstanding criticism from high level coaches that compared to most other countries the Canadian outdoor season is too short.

“The CSL endorsed Youth Development System is intended to be more than just somewhere to play,” said Domenic Di Gironimo, commissioner of the CSL, who for some time now has emphasized a need for Canadian soccer to bridge the gap and provide that missing next step for promising young players who find themselves with nowhere to go. ‘The Gap’ – a long-standing impediment to producing players for higher levels, including Canada’s national teams, has been identified as a reason Canada has fallen behind in world soccer.

“The CSL has a vital role to play in elite athlete development through its league and through its influence on programs offered by CSL member clubs in their communities,” says Di Gironimo. Recent discussions with CSA National Teams’ scouting staff centered on improving the role of CSL coaches in identifying athletes, and creating a formalized link between the two organizations.

The indoor program will have teams in four divisions from U12 (9 v 9) and U14, U16, U18 (11 v 11) training several times per week, playing one game each week from November through April, followed by a break before the outdoor season takes over. Competition rules will be monitored by the CSL.

Players interested should contact the club in their vicinity or of their choice by email or phone, please see contact list below.

Brampton Lions

Phil Ionadi 416 564-6120

ionadi13@hotmail.com

ionadi13@cogeco.ca

Brantford Galaxy

Gerry Crnic 289 880-3002

crocan@yahoo.com

FC Hamilton Croatia

Ron Davidson 905 484-2426

csl@hamiltoncroatia.com

London City