U11 Program

Primary Focus: Often believed to be the “golden age of learning”, we encourage imagination with an emphasis on ball mastery while also increasing the demands and discipline at training. Individual technical skills are still very much the focus at this stage, and players will constantly be challenged to take risks with the ball.

The ASTRA U11 program is aligned with Canada Soccer’s Long Term Player Development (LTPD), a model of athlete development that places the needs of the player at the forefront of everything we do. This third stage, “Learning to Train”, is about learning by doing, which is why we employ experienced former players who allow training sessions to flow, because we recognize that fun and demand do not have to be mutually exclusive. Our coaches not only have the knowledge and emotional competency to improve the players but also possess very high degree of actual playing experience. The coaches who power this program have experience ranging from U-Sport (CIS), Semi-Professional, and Professional ranks.

From a physical perspective this is the optimal window for trainability and to integrate the capacity for speed, flexibility and skills training along with technical skills, which will allow us to build a greater repertoire of movements related to soccer. Tactical aspects of the game are introduced and decision making is introduced into the sessions by careful and deliberate environmental design. Intrinsic motivation is developed by fun and enjoyment that encourages the desire to play; imagine, create, and take chances. 

Sport Science: Fundamental Movement Skills Training and Neuro Soccer. These are built into every on-field training session.

Competition Philosophy: Similar to our U7 and U9 competition philosophy, players in the U11 groups are still encouraged to play a variety of positions, although it’s common that they may only play one position per game. Tactically, basic principles of play are being emphasized as the focus shifts from the individual to small units of players. Technically, we are still encouraging individualism but now we are challenging players to recognize when, where, and why to use these skills. In terms of mentality, our coaches push a “never say die” attitude, because again, asking players to be brave and take risks will often result in many learning opportunities.