The Lower Island Soccer Association is pleased to provide an update on the future of the “Player Development Pathway” on Vancouver Island.
Over the past several months LISA has worked closely in consultation with its member clubs, Upper Island Soccer Association, BC Soccer Association, and the Canada Soccer Association, to better align the levels of play for the U14 through U18 age groups with Canada Soccer’s Long Term Player Development model.
The objective of this work was to create a player pathway that supports individual players to progress to the highest level of play desired/possible.
The key principles used in development of this plan were that the model;
- Be player centered
- Be club based
- Align with the principles of Long Term Athlete Development
- Provide a full season of playing opportunities at Tier 2
- Improve opportunities for player movement between tiers
- Simplify the competition structure
- Align with rules and regulations of BCSA
- Work administratively for the Members
Overview:
Using “Canada Soccer’s Player Pathway” as an outline, LISA will introduce a club based “Competitive Pathway” (formerly Tier 2) to better support player movement between the “Community Pathway” of Tier 3 and Tier 4, and the “Player Development Program” of the BCSPL.
See Canada Soccer’s Player Pathway, LISA’s new “Player Development Pathway” and the re-imagined “LISA Player Pyramid” here.
This new club based “Competitive” level of play will begin in September 2024 with a phased approach beginning at the U14 and U15 age groups. This level of play will be aligned with the BCSPL’s two phase seasonal approach, including a fall developmental phase and a competitive spring phase. LISA will continue to build the strong partnership with UISA and provide an Island based “Competitive” league in the spring, which will formally be known as the “West Coast League”. This level of play will provide players the opportunity to compete at the BCSA “A” Cup Provincial Competition at all ages and Canada Soccer National Championships at the U15 and U17 age levels.
At the U16 through U18 age levels LISA will implement a “hybrid” approach to provide club teams opportunities to declare for the Cup competition and level of play that best suits their development level.
Full implantation details can be found here: 2024-2025 Seasonal Implementation plan
Best Regards,
Lower Island Soccer Association
