This is the highest competitive level for U12 players in the country. There is
no Tier 1 at U12 soccer. Players wishing to play at this level will be selected after a
tryout process. Team practices, skill and fitness sessions, games and tournaments are
mandatory and soccer is expected to be the young athlete’s first sport priority in the
summer. Our goal at this level is to develop and prepare players to become competitive
Tier 1 players at the Regional and Provincial levels when they graduate to U13 soccer.
Players at this level will go into the U12 Academy and will have the following weekly
schedule:
- Team Practice: 2 / week
- Extra Skill/Fitness Session with Staff: 1 / week
- League Games: 1 or 2 / week
- Minimum 1 Tournament
Teams will play in the Capital Inter-District Soccer League (CISL) and compete to make
the Provincial Championship at the end of the summer season. They will travel
throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality for league games. Training begins in late
April. League games begin the first week of June. There is no league play on weekends,
however tournaments are generally on weekends and the CISL usually uses 2 weekends
to make up for rained out league games. Dates for rain out weekends to be determined.
LTPD STAGE 3: Learning to Train
‘THE GOLDEN AGE OF LEARNING’
The effect of the role model is very important at this stage. Children begin
to identify with famous players and successful teams, and they want to
learn imaginative skills. Skill demonstration is very important, and the
players learn best by ‘doing’. Players move from self-centered to selfcritical,
and they have a high stimulation level during basic skills training.
This is also an important time to teach basic principles of play and to
establish a training ethic and discipline. Repetitions are important to
develop technical excellence but creating a fun and challenging
environment is still essential for stimulating learning.
• Physical – This is an optimal window for trainability of speed, flexibility and
skills.
• Technical – Building a greater repertoire of soccer related movements;
technical skills are developed in training and within the context of basic soccer
games.
• Tactical – Developing environment awareness and encouraging decisionmaking:
simple combinations, marking and running into space.
• Mental – Golden age of learning; intrinsic motivation is developed by the Fun
and Enjoyment that foster desire to play; imagination, creativity, increased
demands, discipline.
