By Dan Plouffe
Major changes are coming to the top level of youth soccer in the province. The new Ontario Player Development League will replace the current Ontario Youth Soccer League format starting with the under-13 league in 2014 and continuing with subsequent age groups.
The biggest change the new OPDL will bring is abandoning the promotion/relegation system in favour of clubs applying to field a collection of OPDL teams through all age groups.
“This is a huge paradigm shift that we need to move away from to ensure we’re instilling the right development from a young age,” explains Alex Chiet, the Ontario Soccer Association’s Chief Technical Officer. “Winning is not the best measurement for a child’s development at the younger ages. I use the example in school: would you ask a student to write a story before they can spell?
“They’re asking them to go out and win from seven years of age at the moment when many of them can’t even kick a ball properly.”
Clubs that apply to take part in the OPDL will be required to meet stringent standards. They’ll need to demonstrate compliance with the national Long-Term Player Development model, OPDL coaches will need a National ‘B’ license or higher, they must maintain connections to goalkeeper and strength and conditioning coaches, plus athletic therapists. Adequate training facilities, proof of player, coach and referee development and respect for proper practice to game ratio are also part of the package.
The OSA believes that no club in the province likely meets all the criteria at the moment, but the objective is to raise the bar and provide the right environment for the talented players to progress, Chiet highlights.
“The OPDL isn’t for everyone,” notes Chiet, who expects maybe 10% of clubs will reach for those levels. “What we’re saying is this is one option. For clubs that don’t choose to do this, we’ll be working to help you provide the right environment for your players, but what we’d like to see is clubs passing on players to the clubs that are in this environment so there’s appropriate relationships and clubs are making decisions about what’s best for the players, not their own interest.”
The end goal, Chiet adds, is to develop improve top-level talent so Canada can compete better internationally, and to counteract current trends where many young athletes drop out of the sport.
OSU ready to face changes
For Ottawa South United, the local club that currently fields the most OYSL entries, news of the dramatic changes was rather surprising.
“Soccer is all about promotion and relegation, so that’s a fundamental departure from core soccer,” says OSU president Bill Michalopulos. “My own personal philosophy is that you have to earn whatever you do in life, whether it’s sport, work or personal life. Promotion and relegation is something I espouse and it reflects what soccer is like around the world.
“That being said, we are going to support whatever the Ontario Soccer Association wants to try. And I think it should raise the level of soccer over time.”
Although he’s concerned about the potential detriment to competitiveness should three or four Ottawa clubs be granted teams in the top league, Michalopulos says OSU plans to be a part of the new OPDL.
“OSU is very well-prepared for it,” Michalopulos adds, noting they will have to upgrade some of their coaching designations since the new standards are higher. “Essentially from an infrastructure and program and physiotherapy perspective, we already meet most of the criteria. It won’t be too much of a gap for us to close.”