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  • OPDL: An end to 8-1 scorelines?


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    Editors Note: Paul Varian was a member of the team who presented the Ontario Professional Development League proposal to Ontario Soccer this past weekend. Canadian Soccer News wanted to share a perspective from those who are trying to transform soccer in this province.

    By: Paul Varian

    Eight. One.

    It tightens our jaws, clenches our fists, narrows our eyes. Our nation was humiliated and it still hurts.

    When I go overseas to international soccer conferences, the first thing people say to me is, "Oh yeah, you lost 8-1 to Honduras didn't you?'

    It's embarrassing to this day. A senior Canadian soccer coach echoed the same sentiment to me over the weekend.

    Following that dreadful result for Canada's men's team against Honduras in last year's World Cup qualifier, there was much chat. So much hope had been built for Canadian soccer. People vented. Heads were requested from bodies. But among the anger, there were intelligent discussions about the future of Canadian soccer.

    And these debates all arrived at the same place. Youth soccer was the key to it all and our current system was broken.

    'We have to get it right', we all said. 'We have to change', we all agreed. But nobody really knew how.

    On Saturday, the Ontario Soccer Association took a major step in fixing Canadian youth soccer with the unveiling of its much anticipated Ontario Player Development League (OPDL).

    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Presented to its clubs and members at its Soccer 2013 annual conference, the new high performance youth soccer league demands high standards (technical, facilities and organisational) of its participating clubs, higher than ever seen in the country before.

    And guess what general sports columnists everywhere - there are scores and standings.

    The governing body for soccer in Ontario has been criticized by competitive hard-liners for removing scores and standings from leagues for kids aged 11 and younger. But there's no risk of that with this latest initiative.

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    "LTPD isn't just about recreational fun," explains OSA Chief Technical Officer Alex Chiet. "That is its focus in early ages. But at older age groups, LTPD brings athlete development for our top athletes to a very different level."

    OPDL focuses solely on Ontario's top players from aged 12 and older. There's nothing in this league about recreational play. Instead, it enforces tough standards on clubs who hope to join it and only focuses on the province's top 1.5% playing elite.

    Youth soccer leagues to date have operated the same way for many years. Teams are promoted or relegated to determine who's in and out. There are no player development requirements, outside of what the clubs choose to do themselves. Coaches don't need qualifications with any formal assessment (so anyone can acquire them). Just show up on time and play your games. That's pretty much all the leagues require. This may be fine for recreational fun. But for our top youngsters, it's nowhere near good enough. And many say it's a big reason for 8-1.

    OPDL is much different.

    There's no promotion or relegation. Indeed, teams can't enter this league, per se. Only clubs can. And to do so, they must meet technical criteria that drive training levels to that of professional soccer club academies.

    Coaches must be professional and highly qualified. Off-field sport science and sport medicine is mandatory. Year-round, intensive training is a base requirement and actively enforced. You must train and commit like a pro. But in return, you'll be coached by pros. It makes sense. After all, these kids are aiming to be pros.

    The league is long, 28 weeks from April to November. And the competition is tough - the best playing against the best, under the constant watchful eye of scouts and provincial/national team coaches.

    OPDL kicks off in April 2014 with the U-13 age group, and adds an age group every year through 2019. This spring, OSA clubs will be deciding whether or not the new league is for them. If they like it, they'll be applying for licenses over the summer through a Request-For-Proposal process, with the successful league entrants being announced this Fall.

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    "We rely on our provincial bodies to constantly raise the bar in the development of their top youth players," explains Victor Montagliani, President of the Canadian Soccer Association. "This in turn allows our national teams programs to identify and develop the best athletes out there. The Ontario Soccer Association is to be commended for the leadership it is showing in announcing the new Ontario Player Development League."

    There no doubt it's a tough step up and vastly different from what Ontario soccer is used to at the elite level. Training will be frequent and intense. Travel and cost commitments will be arduous.

    This makes the league controversial to some, particularly those who struggle with the high cost of competitive sport in Canada. But top players and coaches welcome it as a huge step in the creation of a development environment for our top young players that has been desperately lacking and long overdue.

    The further up the pole your climb, the harder it gets to hang on. If players can't handle it here, they'll never make it as a pro.

    Importantly, there are already signs the high standards OPDL demands are improving the Ontario club system. With minimum National-B level qualified coaches required by the league, clubs are taking coach development more seriously. Until now, coach development was often driven by the coach. Enrollment in higher coaching courses was low. But the announcement of OPDL coaching standards has caused an unprecedented spike in enrollment in high end coaching courses in Ontario, as clubs move to prepare their coaches for 2014. Coaches who will be paid, moving competitive soccer coaching from an amateur pass-time to legitimate profession.

    These are steps beneath the surface that may not be immediately apparent on the soccer fields around Ontario. OPDL's impact on high performance soccer in Canada will not be instantaneous. Two World Cups will pass before the league is fully built out.

    But the advent of OPDL is monumental on the long term and mold-breaking in bringing the sport here to a fundamental new level.

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    The correct end-to-end framework for the development of players in Ontario is in place. Very young kids will now play solely to enjoy themselves. There'll be a focus on skills development at key development years. And competition training and serious match play will be introduced in older age groups, when the players are ready.

    Experienced coaches have been preaching this in frustrated chat rooms for years. It is finally here.

    Now, with over 350,000 people playing the game in Ontario, it is a matter of time. With the right system in place, top players will start emerging through the Ontario youth system, into professional clubs and the national team. With the player volumes involved, talent will come through Ontario. It is a statistical certainty.

    The difference between yesterday and tomorrow?

    We now have a system to capture that talent. To identify our best. To give them the opportunity to unleash their potential. To fuel their talent and passion that earns the right to wear our beloved red jersey.

    We can make them part of future 8-1's. But not like 2012. This time, Canada will be the eight. And never again the one.

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    If you'd like to learn more about OPDL here are some resources for you.

    Introduction to the OPDL

    How to apply to join OPDL

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    Paul Varian is Principal of Capitis Consulting, a sports management consultancy based in Ontario. He was previously Chief Administrative Officer of Oakville Soccer Club in Canada, the largest soccer club in North America, President & CEO of Sport BC in the period building up to and during the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and was Chief Executive of the Irish (Field) Hockey Association from 2004 to 2007.



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