ASTRA Soccer Academy Player Pathway - 2024

Player Movement and Progression – Updated 2024

By now, most people can accept and appreciate that development is not linear. As players grow and develop, so to do their interests and ambitions in the game and It’s for this reason that our player pathway has been developed to ensure that players of all abilities and interests have a place to play soccer.

From HappyFeet until U11, player progression is fairly straightforward at ASTRA. We do not hold evaluations for any of these groups, although smaller training groups may be sub-divided for certain aspects of U9 and U11 training, especially if the group has received a recent influx of new registrations. From time to time, the Technical Director and/or Grassroots Director may discuss moving a player either part-time or full-time to another group. This could mean moving a player up an age group if it is deemed that they fit technically, tactically, physically and socially. It could also mean moving a player down an age group in an attempt to create a more favourable learning environment for the individual, whether that be for technical, physical, or social reasons.

When participants enter U13 they have the option of evaluating for the Performance Stream or the Competitive Stream. The Competitive Stream is typically supplemented by additional club practices or academy training. The Competitive Stream has two training sessions per week, while the Performance Stream has three. The head coaches will work in close communication with the Technical Director and/or Grassroots Lead to determine if there are players within the Competitive Stream who may be ready to train part-time or move full-time to an Performance Stream. Performance Stream programs currently hold evaluations once per year at the end of August, with the program operating from October until July. The Competitive Stream has evaluations in the spring and fall. One day per week supplemental training sessions do not hold evaluations and can be accessed by players ranging from U11-U17.

As participants phase out of their U13 training environments, they may opt to evaluate for the U15 Competitive Stream or evaluate for the U15 Performance Stream program. As with the U13 Competitive Program, it is possible for players to be moved on a part-time or full-time basis to the U15 Performance program. This is also the stage of development when the Saskatchewan EXCEL Director may collaborate with the ASTRA Technical Director to recommend players for future EXCEL intakes. Players may also be asked to begin training part-time with the ASTRA UPP program with a recommendation from the Technical Director and UPP Head Coach.

Players who have aged out of the U15 Performance or Competitive program may choose to evaluate for the University Preparation Program (UPP), or they may enter our Soccer for Life U19 Stream. Intake for the UPP season occurs once per year in the fall while our Soccer for Life Stream has a spring and fall intake. From these programs, players may choose to pursue University/College opportunities, or begin training and playing with the ASTRA U23 Team in the local Saskatoon Adult Soccer League.