As part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ Legacy, the Canadian Soccer Association will be moving forward with a project to implement the FIFA 11+ conditioning program for children aged 12 years and over, and the Canadian Sport for Life Movement Preparation program for children aged 7-11 years old, in all Canadian Soccer Association clubs across Canada by subsidizing coach training for these two programs for the next three years.

11+ is a complete warm-up programme to reduce injuries among male and female football players aged 12 years and older. The FIFA 11+ and the Canadian Sport for Life Movement Preparation programmes will help prevent injuries that can lead to significant time away from sports, increase physical literacy, focusing on movement skills and will enable youth to continue participation in physical activity, thereby promoting healthy living. Preventing injury and building resiliency will keep youth engaged in sports, will provide a more enjoyable experience, and will maintain sport participation. Teams that performed 11+ at least twice a week had 30 – 50% less injured players.

This weekend in Calgary, Alberta Soccer, with Canada Soccer, will help train instructors (learning facilitators) from Western Canada and the Northwest Territories who will then be able to train coaches in their regions on a go forward basis. To test the effectiveness of the delivery of the FIFA 11+ training, a pilot course will run in Calgary on May 17th for coaches invited to attend through the Calgary Minor Soccer Association. Physical therapists and strength and conditioning coaches will also attend the course from various regions across the province.

Over the course of the next three years, Alberta Soccer will endeavor to deliver five FIFA 11+ and four Movement Preparation workshops per year for local coaches across the province. Please check back within the coaching section of our website and through your district association for future opportunities.