Soccer Excellence and Lifelong Participation (Long-Term Player Development Model -Canadian, Ireland and England Example and its Adaptation to Turkey)

As the world’s most popular sport, soccer is played in virtually every country on earth, engaging players and spectators alike with its exciting movement and unpredictable action. From the perspective of health promotion, soccer is a sport particularly wellsuited to the promotion of lifelong activity and wellness. The game is easy to understand, requires very little equipment, and involves simple physical movements that promote cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health. Soccer is an intermittent, high-intensity physical activity that requires well-developed aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Soccer is considered fore a physically demanding sport, which requires a high degree of technical skill, strength, agility and endurance. The findings of the studies indicate that aerobic performance is important in determining soccer players performance. On the basis of sport science research and comparative study of soccer player development programs in countries such as England and Ireland, the Work Group has identified the LTPD pathway as the desired model for player development in Canada. LTPD answers the need to develop elite players for international competition, and it also promotes soccer as an active lifestyle for players at all ages and levels of ability. In harmony with the Long-Term Athlete Develop (LTAD) model developed by Canadian Sports Centres and currently being adopted by over 50 sports organizations in Canada and around the world, LTPD recognizes 7 stages in the development of soccer players: Stage 1: Active Start ages U4-U6 Stage 2: Fundamentals ages U6-U8 females, U6-U9 m Stage 3: Learning to Train ages U8-U11 females, U9-U Stage 4: Training to Train ages U11-U15 females, U12Stage 5: Training to Compete age U15-U19 females, U Stage 6: Training to Win ages 18+ females, U19+ males Stage 7: Active for Life any ages females and males