A few months ago after a training session with my men's team, I was talking to a couple of my teammates about the structure of soccer in Yellowknife and how it needs a major reform. Soccer here in the north is unlike any other of Canada I am am familiar with, as there is a very limited outdoor season (for adults as there is no outdoor youth league), an indoor league that isn't affiliated with the NWT Soccer Association which only offers games with no training sessions, and 2 clubs that focus on development but don't have any competition to compete against in the remote area and must travel down south to get some meaningful competition.
When I arrived home from that training session I drafted up a little note of what I would like to see soccer in the biggest city of the Northwest Territories evolve so that we can produce more players, and provide players with the right fundamentals from a young age so that if they are looking to compete at a higher level when they get older they will have the required skills. Here is what I came up with.
U4- Intro division: Players are introduced to the basics of the game where they will partake in a weekly 30 minute skill session followed by 30 minute small sided games. These sessions will be ran by club staff and junior coaches who are looking to give back to the game.
U6: One hour long development session run by club staff, along with a weekly game.
U8-U14: Weekly training sessions conducted by the club staff along with a weekly game. There will also be "competitive" all-star teams comprised of players from the various teams in the house league (u8, u10, u12, u14) that will have an additional training session with the selected players only. These teams will participate in tournaments (varies on team), and these teams will be picked by the head coach who will be appointed by the club.
U16-U18: These age groups will operate like the divisions below with the exception that the "all-star" team would participate in the adult league.
Adults: The organization will operate an adult league, and depending on numbers offer various divisions based on skill levels, and gender. In this division individuals will be allowed to create their own teams to enter the league.
Coaches: For any one who would like to coach a recreational team, they will need to complete the required stage(s) of coaching certification for the age group(s) that they would like to coach. To coach an "all-star" team or be a club coach that helps run the club training programs, they will need to have a minimum requirement of completing all stages of the community coaching stream, and will need to go through an interview process to be selected. The club would provide the courses for the coaches each season and if the coaches are looking to complete their national levels offered out of province, the club will help aid the coaches to do so.
The goal of the club will be to promote soccer in Yellowknife in a properly structured manner in accordance with the CSA and LTPD. For the competitive players, they will have the opportunity to train and play with players at the same level as they are to help to continue their growth in the game.
The reason why I would like to see this happen is because right now soccer in this city is very disjointed and we're doing a disservice to the younger generations by not providing them with the right tools to develop their games. Along with the players, it will also provide young or new referees the opportunities to officiate games that are more suited for their level instead of just being left with the only option to officiate in adult league games.
