Soccer
New Look For Provincial Soccer
The soccer landscape within British Columbia has seen major changes during the past two (2) years and therefore BC Soccer today announced details of the new look 2012 Provincial Teams Program.
These changes have included the creation of the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League which kicked off its inaugural season on February 25th 2012, and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC entering Major League Soccer.
These two monumental advancements have been the catalyst for change in the manner in which we deliver player development within the high performance stream of play within British Columbia.
The Provincial Team program will now run in conjunction with the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League and its seasonal schedule.
This will include the introduction of planned and agreed “blackout dates” where players will be selected for advanced training and competition opportunities.
This new look has come about in an effort to eliminate conflict, program duplication and assist in programming as it relates to the players training and match play schedule.
This will also enhance the overall quality and experience throughout the player’s annual training plan and will continue to deliver upon its mission statement.
“It continues to be our goal to establish the most comprehensive player development structure within Canada, and the introduction of the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League in conjunction with our Development Partner the Vancouver Whitecaps is a key milestone in this evolution of high performance programming,” said Michael Findlay, BC Soccer’s Director of Soccer Development.
Findlay stated “The new look to the BC Soccer Provincial Teams Program provides a required step in the process of high performance training, evaluation and assessment for players aspiring to International, Professional, and University / College level of play”.
BC Soccer’s highly successful Provincial Team Program has been responsible for the developing numerous players for both the men’s and women’s CSA National Teams Programs including current members Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt, Karina LeBlanc, Josh Simpson, and Marcus Haber.
The program has also been responsible for the placement of players within University’s and College program’s both in the United States and Canada.
The program has also been a key platform for the advancement and selection of BC based players into the professional level of play at both the men’s and women’s teams within our development partners the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.