(July 2, 2019) As the end of the outdoor season nears, Alberta Soccer is wrapping up its Fundamentals Festival series throughout the province.
This year, with the continued support of Servus Credit Union, Alberta Soccer’s Manager of Grassroots Development was able to successfully run eight Festivals across the province, featuring the FIFA and Canada Soccer-promoted Preferred Training Model (PTM).
This year’s festivals saw 99 coaches complete their NCCP Fundamentals training and introduced 583 young players in the following host communities to the Preferred Training Model:
- Leduc (1st year)
- Penhold (1st year)
- Scottish (1st year)
- Taber (1st year)
- Bonnyville (2nd year)
- Edgar/Collicutt (2nd year)
- Terwillegar/Riverbend (2nd year)
- Wetaskiwin (2nd year)
- St Albert (3rd year)
Each of the Festival hosts will receive up to $2,000 in grant funds to use in support of their Grassroots programming.
PTM at work
Host community, Leduc Soccer Association, held its Fundamentals Festival in mid-April, with coaches participating in the coaching course in the morning, and then leading the Festival (with support from John Clubb) with their community players that afternoon.
“The coaching course and the direction given by John Clubb was well received by the coaches in attendance,” explained Leduc Soccer Vice President, Craig Cooper. “During the festival, [Clubb] took the time to discuss the purpose and reasoning behind the festival and the format.”
Following the initial implementation of the Preferred Training Model at the Leduc Festival, their community integrated the PTM approach in the U7 program’s outdoor season, guided by one of their directors and several program coaches.
“Our U7s were put through the festival-style program twice a week for May and June,” continued Cooper. “It was a GREAT season for this age group and it ran completely smooth with no issues. The FUNdamental skills taught [at the Festival] and in practices showed, and the development in both the coaches and players was very evident.”
Keys to Success for a community implementing the Model?
According to Cooper, there are key factors involved in successfully implementing the teachings into a grassroots soccer program:
- Great support. External support from Alberta Soccer paired with the internal support from the local Board of Directors.
- A passionate leader. An individual(s) within the community who believes in and is willing to spearhead the process and accurately deliver the program.
- Parental buy-in. Parents/guardians need to understand the program and the process involved so they can see both the short and long-term benefits of the station-rotation approach.
Our community didn’t host a Festival, can we still implement the PTM in our programming?
Absolutely! If your community is interested in learning more about the PTM and its potential impact on your grassroots programming, reach out to the Alberta Soccer Manager of Grassroots Development, John Clubb. John is available to discuss the model and schedule a visit to your community to demonstrate the model with your players.
