 What is the goal of the Professional Development Academy (PDA)? The PDA is the "finishing school" for players who have come through the U13 through U16 Youth Development Academy. While open to all players who are of the required standard, the PDA is the program where club players who are totally committed to pursuing the game and have the talent to do so are given the opportunity to reach the highest levels of varsity, representative and professional soccer.
This is achieved through an intensive program of training and competition aimed at showcasing the players to coaches from varsity programs, national team programs and professional clubs. In particular, the PDA program is seeking to develop home-grown talent to play with Ottawa's Professional NASL team and W-League team.
Jason Da Costa and Jimmy Zito will head up the PDA programs for the Boys and Girls respectively; both are well versed in successfully coaching players at the senior levels. Additional Fury coaches (TBD) will be assigned to the PDA program to work throughout the year with the PDA head coaches.
The PDA is part of the Club’s new Player Development Academy. How does it fit into the new pathway and what were the motivations for the changes proposed for players beyond the U17 level and beyond?
The motivations for the new Player Development Pathway were multi--fold but at the U17 level and beyond the goals were to:
Provide a development environment better geared to the needs of the more talented player who has the potential, desire and commitment to progress to higher levels of the game - professional, varsity, representative.
Better align our programming with the Long Term Player Development initiative of the CSA. In particular, for the PDA, the Training to Compete component.
Better align our programming with the senior PDL and W-League teams and prepare for the future Ottawa professional NASL team and provide a clear path for players to reach these higher levels.
Improve the level the competition for PDA players so that they are more challenged week in week out.
Can you provide examples of players who have achieved the kind of success you expect to see from PDA players? The Club has produced over 80 players over the past 9 seasons who have gone on to play in the US on scholarships while almost all other players have had the opportunity to play in Canada with CIS schools.
On the male side, the Club has a record of producing junior international and professional players in recent years. Chad Bush (Canada U17), Justin Maheu (Canada U17, U19) both played for Canada in 2011. Club players who have moved on to Professional clubs include Chad Bush (TFC Academy), Kai Morton (Montreal Impact Academy), Adrian LeRoy (FC Edmonton - NASL), Ed Edward (FC Dallas - MLS), Justin Maheu (FC Dusseldorf - Germany) and Elliott Simmons (MK Dons - England). Former PDL players, Anthony DiBiase, Olivier Babineau and Robbie Murphy represented Canada in the 2011 World University Games.
On the female side, the Club has produced a number of international players in recent years. Christina Julien (Canada), Gina Pacheco (Canada), Melissa Erturk (Turkey), Lia Blake (Jamaica), Alex Valerio (Portugal) have all played in our youth academy and represented their respective national teams. Others such as Mallory Outerbridge, Riley Filion and Yolam Anderson-Golhor have graduated to our W-League squad in recent years. More success stories are in the pipeline with goalkeeper Rachel Beanlands and Audrey Bernier-LaRose already invited to Canadian National Team camps. Riley Filion and Gillian Baggott represented Canada in the 2011 World University Games.
Our W-League squad has a record second to none in the League over the past 8 seasons and is very proud of its record of bringing in players to Ottawa who have then gone onto very successful professional playing careers in Europe and for their National teams. 14 ex-Club players were selected to 2011 World Cup squads including Diana Matheson, Rhian Wilkinson, Marie-Eve Nault, Carmelina Moscato,Christina Julien and Kelly Parker for Canada as well as Ria Percival, Amber Hearn, Hayley Moorwood for New Zealand, Servette Azunlar for Australia and Faye White for England.
The opportunity to train and play with players of this calibre is a huge plus for all players in the PDA program.
The Club has produced over 80 players over the past 9 seasons who have gone on to play in the US on scholarships while almost all other players have had the opportunity to play in Canada with CIS schools
On what basis will players be selected to the Player Development Academy? Players in the PDA will be selected for their quality, potential and commitment to play at the higher levels of the game. Players graduating from our U16/U17 programs will form the substantial core of the group and will be complemented in the summer by a small number of selected collegiate/university players who have the potential to play in our PDL (Men) and W-League (Women) team.
Formal tryouts will be held in late September each year but players may request a tryout for the squad at any time.
The composition of the squad is expected to primarily be made up of players who are in the of the U17/18 age groups That is, players graduating from the club's 2010 U16 and U17 teams plus exceptional players from other clubs within the same age groups. The first goal for almost all of these players will be to secure scholarship places in top collegiate soccer programs in the US or Canada. For some male graduates, the goal will be to secure a spot with a professional club (MLS, NASL, USLPro or Europe)
Players who return from NCAA, NAIA, and CIS schools in the summer will be held to a higher standard. They will be expected to be able to challenge for roster spots on the Fury PDL and W-League squads and for some to go on to higher representative and professional levels. Players will only be retained in the program if they continue to show the potential for yet further development.
Who is not suited to the PDA program? Players who feel they have already realized their full potential.
Players who do not wish to make the commitment necessary to play at the varsity and representative levels.
Will the U17/18 players participate in Showcase events throughout the year? Yes, it is a primary goal of the PDA program is to showcase the players in the program. It is essential that our U17/18 players are placed in situations where they can be seen by top collegiate coaches, provincial and national team coaches as well as scouts from professional clubs. The expectation is that all U17/18 players will participate in the showcase tournaments.
The U17/U18 PDA players will have the opportunity to play in top Showcase tournaments throughout the year such as the Umbro Cup, Score at the Shore, MSSL, etc as well as College & University indoor tournaments over the winter.
The 2011 U16 and U17 Boys and U16 Girls teams will be participating in the 2011 USL Super Y-League Finals in Tampa, Florida as a result of their performance in the 2011 regular SYL season where they will play against leading SYL clubs from across North America. In 2010 the U17 Girls team won the North American Championship. The Finals are heavily scouted and each year club players receive scholarship offers as a result of their participation in this event,.
Playing in the USL Super-20 League will provide further opportunities for the PDL players to be identified.
How many players will be selected to the PDA program in the Fall tryouts? Are they being selected to the PDA program for both winter and summer programs? Ideally, a full squad of players (20) made up of U17/18 players will be selected in the Fall Tryouts. This squad is expected to be made up of predominantly returning U16 players plus some remaining U17 players plus a small number of qualified newcomers to the club.
These players will form the nucleus of the PDA program throughout the entire winter and the summer seasons. They will play in ALL college showcases and with few exceptions will form the roster of the USL Super-20 squad and will have the opportunity to play in the OCSL Premier Division teams.
If there are some extremely promising U19/20 players who tryout in the Fall we will accept them only if they are considered PDL or W-League potential. These players will be held to much higher standards and will not be able to play in the showcase games (too old) and likely will not play in the USL Super-20 games but will participate in the OCSL Premier teams.
What about League competition? Appropriate competitive play is vital at the 17-20 age groups.
In addition to showcase tournaments, PDA teams will play in the USL Super-20 League, the OCSL Mens and Womens Leagues at the Premier Division and an indoor competitive league (League TBD).
Exhibition games against nearby local colleges and universities will also be arranged. This will provide all PDA players with at least 20 games across the summer from May to August plus active competition indoors throughout the Winter.
The Club may also consider entering the Ontario Cup at the Open Age category.
How many players returning from varsity programs will be added to the PDA program in the summer and where will they play? The standard for returning players to be part of the PDA program is that they have the potential to be selected to the W-League squad. For example, in 2011 returning youth graduates Riley Filion and Yolam Anderson-Golhor were signed to the W-League squad and played substantial while also playing for the OCSL Womens Premier team.
It is not the intent to have returning varsity players displace U17/18 players or reduce playing opportunities for U17/18 players. The intent is that the PDA program will enhance the the playing opportunities for all players over those available in our current programming.
The expectation is that many of the U17/18 players will also play in the OCSL as well as the Super-20 League. Once the OCSL season progresses into August, the U17/18 players will be needed as older players return to college.
It would be wrong to specify an exact number of returning varsity players. However U19/20 players will be held to a higher standard. Do they still have future potential to go further with the Club. We are not out to win the OCSL by selecting older players. It is a competitive and development vehicle.
Why the USL Super-20 League? Unlike the SYL U17 season, for example, the USL Super-20 season runs from May through early July with finals being played in the third week of July. This allows collegiate-bound players to play the regular season and attend the National Finals well before leaving for their varsity seasons.
Competition is strong. The league is used by many W and PDL teams as the competitive vehicle for their W and PDL Reserve teams. Teams participating in the League in 2011 included MPS Portland, Reading, Long Island, Brooklyn, Colorado Rush, Chicago Fire, and Real Southern California. In all 47 teams competed in the Men's competition and 27 teams in the Women's competition. Teams should expect to play 8-12 regular season games in a compressed May to early July timeframe.
Please note that the Super-20 League uses the calendar year (not August 1st) for registration purposes.
Why the OCSL Mens and Womens Premier Divisions? The OCSL at the Men's and Women's Premier Divisions provides the best competition available locally and does not require players to travel outside of the District. The League attracts strong amateur players with many teams now heavily populated with previous graduates from our own club programs. In recent years the Ottawa Royals (Men and Women) and St. Anthony's (Men) have enjoyed success at the Provincial and National Open Amateur Finals.
Our W-League Reserve and PDL Reserve teams have participated in the OCSL for several years under the banner of the Ottawa Falcons and in 2011 both teams were very competitive. In fact the PDL Reserve team finished the season in 2nd place with a 9-3-2 record. The team also competed in the Bob Rathwell Cup losing in the 4th round after three successive wins. U17 players were prominent in the teams success particularly in the latter stages of the season.
The Ottawa Fury W-League Reserves had a less than favourable start to the season that saw them collect only a single point in their first six games. The team then reeled off 5 successive victories to finish the season with a 6-5-2 record and in 4th place. The team relied heavily on U17 players throughout the season.
All PDA players will be registered as adult players removing most restrictions on their play in the OCSL. The OCSL operates a 14 game season with no playoffs and an optional Cup competition - the Bob Rathwell Cup.
What is the proposed program for the 2012 PDA Academy? Indoor
2 x training sessions per week
Full field time - bi-weekly
Exhibition games versus CIS schools/Montreal teams
Indoor League - Louis Riel League for Boys; Girls League TBD
Outdoor
2 x training sessions per week
USL Super 20 League (Weekends) - Finals held 3rd week of July
OCSL Premier League (mainly Mid-Week) - 14 games - play continues to the end of August
Showcases
(U16/U17 players must commit to attend at least 2 showcases throughout the year. Showcases to be determined in consultation with parents. Examples are Umbro (Girls only), MSSL, Score at the Shore, ...
How much does it cost to play with the Fury Professional Development Academy? As is the case with most sports, elite competitive sports programs are more costly than recreational programs. The cost of participating in the Fury PDA Program is in keeping with the costs of other competitive sports programs in the area. Given the standard and quality of player development within the Program, there is a misperception that participation in the PDA program comes at a premium. This is not the case. Moreover, through the generous support of local businesses as well as sponsorship programs within the club, many players and parents have found the Fury program to be no more expensive that the total annual cost of local soccer programs.
PDA players will pay the same monthly fees as Youth Academy (SYL) players. The registration fee payable to the Ottawa Falcons for participation in the OCSL Premier League ($270 in 2011) is included in the monthly fees.
The SYL Program Fees for 2011 fees were unchanged from 2010 and were set at $292.04 per month plus HST ($330). Double-digit percentage increases for such substantial budget items as facilities, bus travel, and hotels have necessitated the raising of the fees for 2012 to $305.31 per month plus HST ($345)
Siblings of Fury players will pay a reduced rate of $234.51 per month plus HST ($265).
See the 2 FAQ's dealing with fees which explain exactly what is and what is not covered by the monthly fees
Fundraising opportunities are available to players. Those who take advantage of these opportunities can reduce their out of pocket costs, sometimes significantly.
What exactly is covered in the Monthly Fees?
The cost of the year-round Winter and Summer programs covers:
- Indoor and Outdoor training facility costs (e.g. Domes, Fields, Gyms). The Club uses predominantly the Algonquin Dome for our Winter training program. Winter facility costs from November through early April form a MAJOR part of the annual costs. Amortizing these costs into the monthly fees helps to balance out the cost of the program more evenly over the year.
- Travel and Accommodation on all regular season USL Super-20 road-trips - teams travel by Greyhound bus, and stay three or four players to a hotel room. The cost of SYL road trips is the second MAJOR cost item which is covered in the monthly fees. As these road trips occur all in the summer months, often within several weeks of each other, amortizing these costs into the monthly fees helps balance out the cost of the program more evenly over the year.
- OCSL Player Registration Fees - Registration and other fees payable to the Ottawa Falcons ($270 in 2011) to permit participation in the Ottawa-Carleton Premier League.
- Equipment and Apparel - 2 x Training Kits (shirt, shorts and socks), Tracksuit, Golf Shirt (for travel), Equipment Bag/Backpack, and seasonal use of Team Uniforms.
- Program Costs - administrative, registration, insurance, referee and coaching fees.
- End-of-Season Awards Banquet - complimentary tickets to player.
- Complimentary Fury Season Tickets valid for all 2012 W-League and PDL regular season home games.
- Additional weekly training sessions for Goalkeepers
What is NOT covered by the Monthly Fees? What additional costs are there?
- The Club is very mindful of costs and the need to keep the program affordable.
- Tournaments: In addition to league play, teams will participate in at least showcase tournaments per year. Since the tournaments attended are team-dependent, the costs of these tournaments is not covered in the monthly fee.
- Super-20 Finals: The teams may qualify for the North American Super-20 Finals, typically held on the 3rd weekend in July.
- Bi-Weekly/Full-field Indoor Time: Fury PDA teams are also provided with full-field time on a bi-weekly basis for games or additional training. Paid in two installments – one in December and one in February.
- Indoor League Play: The cost of this activity is determined on a team by team basis. Both the Men's and Women's PDA squad will enter teams if an appropriate league can be found (TBD)
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