With the details of the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) being announced recently, there have been many questions raised about the costs involved in participating in the League.

In the comments section of my last blog, Giovan wanted to know where the projected individual player cost of between $4000-$4500 came from. Before we carry on and look at the numbers, I need to point out that I did not complete the financial analysis that was presented at the Ontario Soccer Association’s AGM. I do not speak on behalf of the OSA, and any official questions that you have about the OPDL should be emailed to the OSA directly at opdl@soccer.on.ca, so that the answers can be posted on the OSA website for all to see.

Now, with those formalities out of the way, let’s take a look at the cost of running an OPDL program. I will offer a lower cost for each item in the budget, as well as a higher cost. (I’ll explain more about this later.)  Continue Reading…

The Ontario Soccer Association released the details of a new high performance youth soccer league at its AGM in Niagara Falls on April 13th. The League, called the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL), is set to begin play in 2014 with the U13 age group.

The ‘Introductory Guide for Ontario Soccer Clubs’ can be read here:

OPDL – An Introductory Guide for Ontario Soccer Clubs

The ‘Request for Proposals for League Entry’ document can be read here:

OPDL – Request for Proposals for League Entry

A friend recently sent me an interesting TED presentation by Dan Pallotta, in which Mr. Pallotta discussed the idea that too many non-profits are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done.

It got me thinking about the way most non-profit soccer clubs are run in Canada; keep fees as low as possible, rely primarily on unqualified volunteers to run programs, and hope for the best. Most clubs are so poorly run that they are just happy to keep the lights on from week to week.

No one – and I mean no one – gets rich working for a non-profit soccer club. As a result, the individuals we really need running clubs – those with professional qualifications and expertise – pursue other avenues within the game.

Maybe it’s time we stopped trying to make soccer “cheap”, and instead try to improve the product our non-profit clubs deliver by empowering them to professionalize their operations?

JDV

Back in February, I traveled to Ottawa to testify before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, who were putting together a report on the status of amateur coaching in Canada.

The report was published recently, and its contents reveal many similarities between sports in Canada. Most notably, most sports struggle to attract and retain qualified coaches, and have significant barriers to coach education.

I am particularly intrigued by recommendation #2:

The Committee recommends that the federal government explore measures, including e-learning, to assist the Coaching Association of Canada and other sports organizations with the delivery of the National Coaching Certification Program.

It will be interesting to see if this will translate to e-learning modules for the CSA’s LTPD coaching courses.

The full report can be read here:

While those who are familiar with football on a global scale know that the principles of LTPD are simply common practice in other countries, critics continue to question their legitimacy.

Have a read through this presentation from the Danish Football Association, and you will see that Canada is not alone in adopting a player-centric development philosophy.

Danish Football Presentation

JDV

I was catching up on some reading the other day, and one of my usual destinations – Monday Morning Centreback (written by the Technical Director of Vancouver United Football Club, Gregor Young) – had a blog entry that caught my attention.

It wasn’t so much what Gregor wrote (much of which I agree with), it was more the ensuing discussion that played out in the comments section.  Continue Reading…

I’m heading “home” today. Well, sort of.

I’m flying back to England for a quick (very quick!) visit. I’ll be attending a dinner on Thursday evening in Wigan, as the supporters club is bringing together the championship team from the ’02-’03 season for a reunion of sorts. I haven’t seen some of the players in nearly 10 years, so it will be great to catch up with some old teammates, as well as to chat to the supporters.

I will also be dropping by Ipswich to visit a few friends and stop in to the Club to say hello. I haven’t been back since I played my last game nearly 5 years ago!

Tempted to bring my boots…

It’s been a long time since my last post, so I figured I’d start off 2013 in a positive manner and get back to it! Continue Reading…

What a great idea! This photo was sent to me by TSS Academy coach, Brendan Quarry:

I’m pretty sure these will sell like hot cakes!

JDV