NASC PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MISSION STATEMENT

NASC Player Development Mission  is to create the best possible environment to develop young soccer players in the North Allegheny district by:

• Enabling 5 to 10 year old children to have fun, to develop a desire to play the game, and to acquire new skills in age-appropriate environments.
• Enhancing the technical development of players by offering player development programs.
• Emphasizing player development over winning/losing, especially amongst younger children.
• Improving the soccer education and technical competencies of volunteer coaches working with NASC players.

The following are the NASC Guidelines for the Player Development Program (PDP) specific to each age group.

 Under 7/Under 8-- This program incorporates a comprehensive, age appropriate curriculum developed by Jerry Concannon of QuickSkills Soccer with input from NASC coaches.  It is designed to build upon skills introduced at the Under 6 level in an orderly progression over the four seasons of U7/U8 soccer.  At this age level, PDP is an integral part of the program and all costs are included in the standard program fee.  Teams meet every other week (usually on Monday or Tuesday) for one hour and 15 minute PDP sessions to learn and exercise new skills. These sessions are led by professional soccer trainers and benefit both players and coaches.  Each team’s coach and/or an assistant coach must participate with his/her team at each session. 

The NASC Board strongly recommends thatU7/U8 teams replace their weekly practice with the PDP session on weeks PDP is scheduled.  Additional team practices are fine if the players and coach wish to have them, but they should not preclude the PDP sessions.

 Specific Dates for PDP sessions are listed on the Calendar.

Under 9/Under 10 --  This PDP program is an optional program offered as an additional training opportunity for those players wishing extra training to advance their skills.  An additional fee is assessed for this PDP program since it is optional.  Registration for this program happens concurrently with U9/10 program registration as an optional selection.

Players in this age group meet for 5 Sunday afternoon sessions to learn and exercise new skills and game strategies.  This program is designed to build upon the U7/U8 program and incorporate offensive and defensive strategies while continuing to build individual soccer skills. 

At this age group, PDP is focused only on player development and not intended for coaches.  However there will be a coaching clinic and coaching resources provided for U9/U10 coaches by the NASC.

Additional PDP training opportunities at this level may include specialized training sessions for those players who are interested in developing Goaltending skills. 

Dates for the U9/10 PDP sessions may be found by checking the Calendar or the U9/10 program page.

U11/U12 Travel teams – At this level, PDP is designed to assist both the players and coaches with specific upper level thinking and strategy along with continued focus on individual skill development.  These sessions are designed to facilitate team training.  Teams normally meet Friday evenings to learn and exercise skills and strategies required for more competitive play.  Input from team coaches on a specific team's needs is requested and expected.

Since all U11/U12 Travel team players receive this extensive team training, an extra fee to offset the cost is assessed automatically to all players at this level during registration.