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Post by luisluis on Nov 3, 2017 13:26:28 GMT
So to bring everybody up to speed, a brief summary from the past couple of weeks
We got a big reveal from "Nonna" on twitter that there would be a national youth developmemt league sanctioned by the CSA.
This was followed by news from BC soccer about a yet to be announced National Club Licensing Program.
I posted previously that I had heard OSA/CSA discussions about acadamy league consolidation in Ontario.
And now Nonna is suggesting that OASL and SAAC will consolidate in 2018. And that OPDL will collapse into PDP in 2019 with some OPDL consolidating into the OASL and SAAC structure.
It sounds like at least 2 tiers of leagues in Ontario. PDP which is national. And SAAC/OASL/OPDL which sounds like a province wide league.
So while there is more details starting to come to the fore. Clearly many questions remain.
Will this consolidation result in more costs to parents?
What are the CSA/OSA doing for talented kids who cannot afford the academy structure?
What happens to communitiy clubs that are not currently set up for OPDL? Do they stay on the outside looking in? Are they folded in another tier?
Is it acceptable to have community clubs with volunteer coaches compete with academies that have paid coaches? Is it accepable to have them not compete?
How does League 1 Ontario fit into this picture? Is it top of the pyramid for the regional SAAC/OASL/OPDL league?
Will be interesting to see the comments.
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Concerned soccer parent
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Post by Concerned soccer parent on Nov 3, 2017 14:24:13 GMT
Will only OPDL teams be going to PDP? And, will those teams still be considered "higher level" than SAAC/OASL with no competition outside of PDP?
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Post by agooner on Nov 3, 2017 14:36:17 GMT
In whatever way these various clubs/academies/teams/practitioners assemble around a common set of EVALUATED coaching and development criteria, the better. This can be achieved via a national certification process, akin to what is done in Germany. (see my avatar)
The criteria for certification should be transparent, as well as the results of practitioner appraisals. The only reason why there are costs to parents for any of this is because Canada lacks the professional league structure to make player development a viable business endeavor. If there were professional teams in Canada that had to rely on player transfers to fund part of their ongoing operations (a part of attempting to gain promotion and avoid relegation) , then they would fund a full spectrum of academy teams (like Toronto FC does in Ontario). Until then, its 'pay to play', but parents and players should be getting a much better product than they do now. Standards can help ensure that. Transparency on criteria and evaluation, and not just empty claims to 'elite' or 'tier' or 'license' are my measure of accountability.
Just like a player should earn their spot, so should a practitioner. This takes bold and decisive leadership though. I hope Canada Soccer is serious about what it takes.
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Post by luisluis on Nov 3, 2017 20:30:17 GMT
Good question. The truth is nobody really knows. The way it was explained to me. Is that PDP will be licensed clubs by the CSA that meet certain standards. Currently I am familiar with BC having a standard 1 or something to that effect. It has been stated that those clubs meeting that standard will be part of this national setup. It would seem only natural that in Ontario the clubs with the highest "standards", that is OPDL, follow the same idea. I suspect that in additiin to OPDL, Toronto FC, Ontario CanPL clubs, and most likely Sigma will form the National league in Ontario. Will only OPDL teams be going to PDP? And, will those teams still be considered "higher level" than SAAC/OASL with no competition outside of PDP?
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Post by Soccer thoughts on Nov 7, 2017 15:49:22 GMT
So will the SAAC teams have to adhere to the LTPD guidelines? Academy teams currently play longer games, longer outdoor season and practice over +2hours, three times a week, 12 months a year. Most people have moved to the Academy system in order to train more, get more touches with better technical training. Not sure how this will shake out with volunteer coaches vs paid coaches in regards to technical training for the kids. From our experience the Academy training is far superior to a local OSA team. We pay more $ for bettering coaching/training. So in the long run, will this proposed league end up being a case of who can afford the best coaching/training?
Wonder if the SAAC teams like RVDL, Prostars, Rush, 1v1, etc will willingly move to the OSA or try to form another league outside the OSA...stay tuned i guess!
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rdafc
New Member
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Post by rdafc on Nov 7, 2017 23:53:46 GMT
I do not trust the OSA at all. I can assure you that whatever hybrid proposal that is tabled will not be fair to all parties.
IT NEVER IS OR HAS EVER BEEN.
A leopard does not change its spots and the OSA is an old, decrepit, sleazy leopard looking out for the cash and the old boys.
I am tired of these "new" starts which are really nothing more than a consolidation of OSA interference, power and money.
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Concerned soccer parent
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Post by Concerned soccer parent on Nov 8, 2017 12:48:58 GMT
So will the SAAC teams have to adhere to the LTPD guidelines? Academy teams currently play longer games, longer outdoor season and practice over +2hours, three times a week, 12 months a year. Most people have moved to the Academy system in order to train more, get more touches with better technical training. Not sure how this will shake out with volunteer coaches vs paid coaches in regards to technical training for the kids. From our experience the Academy training is far superior to a local OSA team. We pay more $ for bettering coaching/training. So in the long run, will this proposed league end up being a case of who can afford the best coaching/training? Wonder if the SAAC teams like RVDL, Prostars, Rush, 1v1, etc will willingly move to the OSA or try to form another league outside the OSA...stay tuned i guess! It will be interesting to see who's rules will be followed in this new league. OSA, or SAAC. SAAC created some of the original LTPD guidelines. - SAAC has no retreat line, teams play 9v9 up to U12, players play up freely in age groups, (or down) where it helps nurture development for that player. Also, have flexible league game scheduling to allow for tournament travel, especially for USA Showcases. I cannot comment on the OPDL rules, maybe someone can shed some light on how they compare. Hopefully which ever rules are followed, they will be done in the best interest of player development.
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Concerned soccer parent
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Post by Concerned soccer parent on Nov 8, 2017 16:51:44 GMT
Why must they continuously post superiority over all other teams and players? Simply not the case!! Quotes from OSA Newsletter. "Six OPDL Charity Shield champions crowned. The top soccer athletes in Ontario were in action this weekend as the Ontario Soccer Centre played host to the Ontario Player Development (OPDL) Charity Shield. "
"Twelve teams, across six divisions, competed for provincial glory as the U-14, U-15 and U-16 age groups wrapped up the OPDL 2017 season. "
Wouldn't it be fun to have these teams play the top teams from all other leagues in Ontario? Not saying who would win, because they never play each other, nobody really knows who would win, but it would be fun!
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Post by big2267 on Nov 8, 2017 20:19:32 GMT
Bleh, I tried to make a table here comparing standards, but somehow the formatting messed it up. Anyway, they are similar (indeed OPDL copied SAAC to some extent). LTPD adds some elements to the matrix at younger ages and stipulates that OPDL clubs should offer both boys and girls programs and grassroots/house league programming (either directly or through an affiliate). I think both of those elements are pretty important.
OPDL teams *have* played external teams. At the Umbro showcase they were mixed and came out with pretty good overall records. Considering U13 - U16, this is how the clubs have fared (WDL): OPDL: 66-16-33 OASL: 3-3-15 SAAC: 22-4-19 Non-OPDL club: 114-51-145 CAF: 2-0-1 Out of Province: 7-0-3 Other Ontario Academy: 4-0-2
Head-to-head with SAAC they went 2-0-4, but it's tough to make conclusions with that sample size.
I don't think it's too much of a stretch to suggest "top soccer athletes"; particularly at U13/U14 now that they have better geographical coverage. OPDL is demonstrably more competitive with fewer blowouts than any league.
Not perfect, but the "not the best" mantra only goes so far.
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Post by agooner on Nov 10, 2017 1:36:58 GMT
Why must they continuously post superiority over all other teams and players? Simply not the case!! Quotes from OSA Newsletter. "Six OPDL Charity Shield champions crowned. The top soccer athletes in Ontario were in action this weekend as the Ontario Soccer Centre played host to the Ontario Player Development (OPDL) Charity Shield. " "Twelve teams, across six divisions, competed for provincial glory as the U-14, U-15 and U-16 age groups wrapped up the OPDL 2017 season. " Wouldn't it be fun to have these teams play the top teams from all other leagues in Ontario? Not saying who would win, because they never play each other, nobody really knows who would win, but it would be fun! You're going to get your wish (well a start at least). bit.ly/2hikG5m Need to help spread the word! TorontoFC Academy confirmed to me on twitter that it will be open to the public at the Kia training grounds.
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Post by Futbolista on Nov 11, 2017 18:44:54 GMT
I think the BMO championship cup next week is fantastic .... and not quite understanding how these “elite” teams were chosen/invited. If you look at SAAC standings, Eurostar U14 was definitely not the top team, Rush is nowhere to be found. In U14 OPDL , Oakville lost to North Toronto in Charity Shield (NT not there, Oakville is). It’s not clear and questionable.
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Post by luisluis on Nov 11, 2017 23:00:35 GMT
For the SAAC teams, there is an academy cup final at the end of the season. The winners of the cup final made it to the BMO champions cup as the SAAC representatives. Not sure about the other teams.
At this stage, I think this is a great iniative, a step in the right direction and will not be overly critical. Im going to try to get out to some of these games.
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Post by 04dad on Nov 13, 2017 21:37:51 GMT
i agree this is a nice start, hopefully the politics can be put aside and kids can compete
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Post by luisluis on Nov 13, 2017 21:42:07 GMT
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Post by luisluis on Dec 16, 2017 17:44:16 GMT
So it appears the OSA held a meeting this past weekend to discuss the plans for OSA recognized academies in 2018. Previous speculation is that there is a national high performance league being planned by the CSA for introduction in 2019. Prior to that, there seems to be momentum in Ontario to consolidate the academy structure. The implication is that OASL + CAF + SAAC would be combined into one league. And that OPDL would be consolidated into a national youth league structure. And some sort of tiering structure is expected. The prevailing speculation, especially Nonna on twitter, seems to suggest that there will be 4 tiers, OPDL/National is Tier1, OASL/SAAC is tier 2, Regional leagues are tier 3, and clubs/rec are tier 4. To bring things up to speed there were a couple of recent developments this week that have muddied the waters somewhat. One of these development is the announcement by the OSA that the OASL will be managed in partnership with SAAC. The press release seems to suggest that SAAC will run the OASL, but stops short of stating that OASL and SAAC will combine or if SAAC will even exist next year. I spoke to someone who was at the meeting and they understood that SAAC and OASL are merging. I have not seen are heard anyone another source confirm this. The press release did not refer to the other academy league, CAF, at all. AT the same time, there is nothing on SAAC's website to corroborate or clarify the OSA's statement. If you have talked to your TD or coaches Im curious to hear what others have heard. The other information that came out this week is that Bill Manning, TFC's club president, supposedly said that TFC's academy teams are moving to the USSDA league where other MLS academy teams play. Assuming this is the case, while such an initiative seems to make sense, it does suggest that TFC has little regard for the OSA or CSA's development plans, perhaps justifiably. At any rate, there is not a lot of information in the recent press release other than to suggest more change is coming. But what the nature of that change will be is anyone's guess.
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