The Scuola Calcio Academy program was launched in 2007 by the Woodbridge Soccer Club to provide a higher standard of training for their players. Scuola Calcio, meaning “School of Football”, continues to place player development first by focusing on age appropriate fundamental and technical skills and training.
Our competitive teams take part in Scuola Calcio Academy year round with different programs developed for the outdoor and indoor season. Each program is also tailored to specific age groups and implemented by our highly certified technical staff of trainers.
The outdoor development program runs in the spring and summer during the competitive teams regular outdoor league play.
New Program – Grassroots U6-U7 Girls
2024 Player Registration Open! REGISTER HERE
U6-U7 Grassroots Scuola Calcio
Jan. 9/2024 – Apr. 30/2024
17 sessions – $995.00
3 times per week:
- Tuesdays – Turf (OSA Field B – 6 PM – 7:30 PM)
- Thursdays – Gym (St. Padre Pio – 6 PM to 7 PM)
- Saturdays – Turf (OSA Field A – 9 AM – 10 AM)
Scuola Calcio Principles of Seasonal Planning for Development
May – September
In season Scuola Calcio Competative Period.
Rep Teams are training and playing regularly.
May to September Rep Teams are training 3 times a week plus a game.
October
Rep Teams are not training.
Players are recovering from the season.
November – April
Transistion Scuola Calcio Period.
Rep Teams are training but not palying regularly.
Rep teams are training 1-2 sessions per week.
OPDL
May – October
In season Competative Period.
Teams are training and playing regularly.
May to October OPDL Teams are training 4 times a week plus a game.
- 3 training sessions.
- 1 fitness
- 1 game
November
OPDL Teams are not training.
Players are recovering from the season.
No OPDL Player tryouts.
December – April
Transistion Period.
December to January –
OPDL Teams are training once a week.
OPDL player tryouts.
February to April –
OPDL teams are training 3 sessions per week.
- 2 training sessions.
- 1 fitness
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
FUNdamentals U6-U8 Select – The Initial Discovery Phase
Skill Aquisition Phase
3 sessions of 75-90 minutes plus one game a week.
The coach focuses extensively on prviding a solid foundation of technical skill.
If the player does not gain this skill foundation during this phase, it will be very difficult to make up later.
No amount of fitness or competative spirit will ever compensate for deficiencies in functional game skills.
If this approach is applied properly, it will provide a seamless transistion into the “game training phase”. The emphasis in the Skill Aquisition Phase is on skill development but this can/should not be separated from developing insight/game understanding at the same time.
Characteristics of Children in this Age Bracket.
- They are still “clumsy” (lack of fine motor skills), because they are still developing their coordination.
- They have a short attention span and are quickly and easily distracted.
- They are “self-centred” and not yet able to really work together (do not ask them to perform team play, as this is nearly impossible).
- They play or participate for fun with short bursts of energy and enthusiasm.
- They are unable ot handle a lot of information i.e. instructions, feedback.
The Focus of Training at this Age.
Natural development: learn tto play soccer by playing soccer. No “coaching” but organizing fun soccer exercises. Emphasis on building a love of the game.
Development Discovery Program:
These topics are repeated 3 times outdoor and 3 times indoor. This will give the players an opportunity to master the exercises numerous times.
- Dribbling
- Striking the ball
- Ball control
- Passing
- 1v1 attacking
- Running with the ball
Select Program U/6 – U/8 FUNdamentals
Discovery of Talent Players
The select program was created for players wishing to train in a professional environment with qualified coaches. Players will be put in the best soccer environment, allowing these young players to be active, creative and to have fun in a positive and safe environment. This will allow players to grow and fall in love with the game. We at Woodbridge Soccer Club focus on the FUNdamentals, and emphasize skills development and movement through games and activities. These activities will promote a feel for the ball, while teaching basic principles of play within a fun but structured setting. The focus is to develop and identify talented players for preparation to play on future competitive teams.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Learn To Train U9-U12: Skill Aquisition Phase
Initial Discovery Phase
U6-U7: one training session & one game per week.
U8 Festival Teams: 2 training sessions per week,
plus festival games on the weekends.
Discovering of player’s possibilities through trial or from recreational games.
The most important job is to recreate a “street football/soccer” enviornment; be an organizer
of fun football/soccer-related practices and LET THEM PLAY!
This approach, where they can dicover how the game works in a natural way, is the right one for the
“discovery phase”. All training sessions and games will be run by qualified coaches.
Characteristics of Children in this Age Bracket.
- Pre-pubescent players from ages 9-12 years have a special ability to learn. Therefore, this is the right age to work on specific soccer techniques and skills. Developing good technique is essential at this age.
- 1v1 and 2v1 attacking and defending situations are important to develop individual skills as well as the passing techniques to develop the necessary team game.
- Use small sided games to develop basic attacking and defesive principles. Oher important aspects of tactical training ar possesion, combination play, transition and finishing in the final third, as well as zonal defending. Players will rotate in two or three different positions to avoid early specialization.
- Speed, coordination, balance and agility are the main physical aspects to improve at this stage.
The Focus of Training at this Age.
At this age the players are ready for a more structured approach to training. In every sessions the focus is on one of the core skills, from the beginning until the end of the session (theme based sessions).
Development Skill Program:
These topics are repeated 3 times outdoor and 3 times indoor. This will give the players an opportunity to master the exercises numerous times.
- Dribbling
- Striking the ball
- Ball control
- Passing & Receiving
- 1v1 attacking
- 1v1 defending
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Train To Train U13-U15: Game Training Phase
The Game Training Phase
3 training sessions of 90 minutes plus a game a week.
Preparing players for Provincial, OPDL Pro Academy Youth National Team. Teaching them to apply functional game skills in a team setting using 1-4-3-3 or 1-4-4-2 as the preferred formations for the club.
Developing tactical awareness, perception and decision making through game-related approach to training.
Since game trainf phase sessions should strive for game realistic scenarios, the practices must include game specific resistances such as opponents, team-mates, direction, rules and appropriate dimensions as a consequence in game traing phase.
The Main Mental Characteristics of the Puberty Phase:
- Sudden mood changes
- Resistance against authority
- Impulsiveness (first acting, then thinking)
- Accelerated intellectual development
- Identity search which leads to a desire to be part of a group
The most important part of this age bracket is the fact that these players are in (or entering into) the pubery phase which is a phase of radical metal and physical changes.
Huge changes in hormonal system cause confusion while the physical changes can also unsettle the youngsters.
Physically they may sometimes suddenly look like adults but mentally they often are still very young, something that also may confuse coaches. Another aspect for coaches to consider is that in general, girls enter the puberty phase slightly earlier than boys.
The Focus of Training at this Age.
Developing tactical awareness, perception and decision making through a game-related approach to training. The sessions of the game training phase are also “theme based”.
Development Skill Program:
These topics are repeated 3 times outdoor and 3 times indoor. This will give the players an opportunity to master the exercises numerous times.
- Passing – playing out of the back.
- Shooting – attacking central areas.
- Ball Control – attacking midfield play.
- Passing; short and long – possession.
- 1v1 Attacking – trransistion.
- 1v1 Defending – defensing pressuring.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Train To Train U16-U18: High Performance Phase
High Performance Phase
3 training sessions of 90 minutes plus a game a week.
Focus for coach is to prepare players for senior teams: Professional, Scholarship Shocase, League 1, Provincial and Youth National Teams.
This is also the moment that winning really starts to matter. That’s why the purpose of the performance phase is learning how to perform/win as a team.
The coach is very muched focused on getting results. Training, therefore, is centered on fixing specific problems with the team.
Characteristics at this level:
The performance starts when the puberty phase has ended and the growth spurt has come to a standstill. Generally this happens around the age of 16, but differs from individual to individual and, as stated before, girls generally reach this point earlier than boys.
Girls and boys diverge in their physical abilities as they enter puberty and move through adolescence. Higher levels of the hormone Testosterone allow boys to add muscle and even without much effort on their part, get stronger. In turn, they become less flexible.
Girls, as their levels of Estrogen increase, tend to add fat rather than muscle. They must train rigorously to get significantly stronger. Estrogen also makes girls’ ligaments lax which makes them more flexible than boys but also more prone to certain injuries such as ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) rupture.
Core stability strength training is therefore an important training element in the performance phase, especially for girls. However, it’s unecessary to do that in a gym since core stability programs can perfectly be done on the field.
The Focus of Training at the High Performance Phase.
The concept of rotating through pre-determined themes, which serves us well in the Skill Aquisition and Game Training. High Performance training session is almost identical to those in the Game Training Phase.
Development High Performance Program:
The sessions themes are based largely on recent match performance, with a view on improving for the next match.
- Playing out of the back.
- Attacking central areas.
- Finishing final third.
- Possession.
- Transistion.
- Defending pressuring.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
GOALTENDING
Coaching content:
Specific technical, tactical, physical and psychosocial goalkeeping aspects to cover in traing sessions.
Goalkeeping training is 2-3 times per week.
Technical:
- Ball Handling
- Dealing with crosses
- Dives & Saves
- Footwork
- Positioning
- Shot stopping and Blocking
Tactical:
- Throws and distribution
- Support and play
- Controlling the tempo
- Game Management
- Communication
Physical:
- Agility & Reaction
- Coordination & Balance
- Flexibility
- Perception & Awareness
- Strength & Power
Psychosocial:
- Focus/Attention
- Decision/Determination
- Communication
Contact Info
Woodbridge Soccer Clubhouse
7401 Martin Grove Road
Woodbridge, ON. L4L 9E4
Mailing Address
PO Box 12359 Rutherford Islington
Vaughan, ON. L4H 2T3
P: 905-851-4496
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