Metro - Skill Centres

What is the Metro League?

The Metro League is for club teams in the Metro region (Feildians, St. John's, Mt. Pearl, Paradise, CBS, PC-SP, CBN, Southern Shore and Burin). Metro League games are scheduled during the outdoor season and teams train during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. 

Club Training Philosophy

Beginning in the Winter 2025 season, under the guidance and supervision of our Club Head Coach, FAA will further align our training with Canada Soccer’s Club Development Centre (CDC) philosophies. A CDC is the pillar of the new structure that Soccer Canada and its Provinces/Territories are adopting, to help develop young players. The CDC philosophy is based on the following 4 principles: 

• No tryouts/evaluations. All players will have a chance to play, and none will be restricted through any sort of evaluation. 

• All players receive the same service. The service offered will be based on the interest of the player, and not on their level of play. 

• No closed teams. Players will experience playing with different teammates throughout the year, as well as having different coaches. 

• Stationary work. This promotes everyone’s commitment and is a much more stimulating environment for the player. 

As we have encouraged for several seasons, winter training for Metro teams will focus on the skill development of each individual player. At the U7 - U11 age groups, selecting a firm number of players for a roster is not conducive to long term development and talent identification. Selecting tiered teams often turns away inexperienced players who may have high-skill potential. At these ages, the goal is to develop all interested players, not discourage those who need to work on their technical skills. 

Using guidelines from Canada Soccer’s Skill Centre Program training guidelines, our Club Head Coach will design and lead the winter training program under these principles, and all out young players will receive the same quality of programming, regardless of their level of play. 

Still wondering how the CDC model will work? FAQs on the model can be found below:  

Q: What is a skill centre and how will this impact the winter schedule? 

A: Training will be scheduled so all registered participants in a specific age group (or groups) will be on the field together. Within that training session, coaches will lead multiple stations that cater to the skill development of all players on the pitch. These groups will be fluid throughout the season and encourage players to train with all their teammates.  

Q: When will teams be named for the summer season? 

A: Metro leagues in the U7 - U9 ages are not tiered. The Metro league is reevaluating how teams will be named for summer 2025, but FAA does not wish to name set rosters for the full summer. Based on our player development philosophy, we wish to have all players train together, and be mixed up each Metro Weekend to ensure all players have a chance to play and develop together. All teams should be balanced to foster group development.  

At the U10 and 11 levels, we would prefer to use a similar model to the U7-9 age groups. That will depend on the NLSA and Metro League governance, and how clubs agree to tier those leagues next summer. Regardless of if teams are set or not, they will still use the Skill Centre model during weekly training to continue the skill development of every player in the group. 

The U13 Metro teams will have set rosters, but will also train using the same model.  

Q: What is the benefit to not naming set teams? 

A: As mentioned above, naming teams discourages players who are deemed of lower skill level at specific that moment in time and hinders any future development of players who could succeed with more time and growth.  

In addition, a roster of a full-sided team is typically between 18-20 players. By using skill development centres at the lower levels where team size is smaller, players can build relationships on and off the field which will foster a more cohesive team in later years. Players will also benefit from the knowledge of a variety of coaches over the course of a season vs having one set coach.  

Q: What if my child wants to be more competitive in their age group? 

A: While we still use this training model as it is what is developmentally appropriate for players of this age, we do recognize that some players are eager for a competitive team atmosphere. FAA will endeavor to ensure those players have meaningful opportunities for enhanced skill development. Given limited facility times in the winter, we are not sure what this looks like at this stage, but we are committed to ensuring these opportunities are available for players in the summer months. Discussions on this have included a travel/tournament team and/or enhanced training, although we cannot provide firm plans at the moment.  

FAA supports and encourages our multi-sport athletes. We try and accommodate the most common clashes when scheduling our practices and we do not have strict attendance requirements as a pre-requisite to play with the club.  We do, however, expect our players to show commitment to the club and their team. 

Training Plan

Indoor season (November to April, registration opens in October) 

• U7, U8 and U9 Metro teams train 1 x per week (schedule posted at registration)  

• U10, U11 and U13 Metro and all PYL teams 2 x per week (schedule posted at registration) 

 Outdoor season (May to August, registration opens in April) 

• Team training 1-2 x per week (schedule posted at registration) 

• Optional morning camps 2 x per week  

• 5 to 6 game weekends with 3 to 4 games each weekend 

How do I know my child is a “Metro Ready Player”? 
 
Teams are not set for Metro weekends until late Spring. At each age group, we consider players to be “Metro Ready” if: 

• U7 and U8: All players are put on Metro teams, unless a player is not actively engaged in practices and games or is consistently disruptive. Players are registered in the program on a first come, first served basis. 
• U9and U10: Players must be actively engaged in practices and games and have at least basic technical skills & physical literacy to help their team during games. New players are evaluated and assessed for their level of readiness before being permitted to register full time to the program.  
• U11 and U13: Players must be actively engaged in practices and games and have good technical skills & physical literacy to help their team during games. New players are evaluated with the strongest players joining the rosters. 

Winter 2024/25

** based on the capacity for indoor training, returning players from the 2024 summer season will be given advance registration opportunities before new players are invited to register. 

Winter Training Schedule

Registration will open for returning players on October 20th. Instructions and pricing to follow.

*Boys schedule updated Oct 16th