Spring Skill Centre

As our club continues to strive to better serve our members, we are pleased to announce program details for the Spring 2023 “VanU Skills Center” programming which will begin its invitation process (half of the registrants are invited in, whilst half come from regular enrollment process’) in the coming weeks.

As a CSA Club License holder:https://www.canadasoccer.com/play-landing/club-licensing-program/national-youth-club-licence-holders/) our club is excited about being able to offer our players an environment which will allow them to discover and fall in love with the game of soccer. Within this program, we will be offering a blend of “invited” and “open registration” opportunities to players who will take part in the programming together. Having the ability to offer an equal opportunity program to both “invited” players and any player that is interested in this training environment (on a first come, first serve basis) is something that we are absolutely committed to and have seen the benefits that bio banding and other adjustments to the training groups have provided to our participants. 

Entering our 3rd spring, we can proudly say that over a dozen players who initially joined our program via the “open” registration process now find themselves within our invited list of “model players”. This list is updated quarterly, and is not set to any given number; albeit we are bound by field capacities. 

Skills Center Tournaments

In addition to the training component, which will take place on weekends (please see day and times below) from April to June 2023, we will also be offering a variety of tournaments that our members can opt into taking part in. All players will be considered for these types of events, and even players receiving an invite into the programming are subject to the limited spaces of these events and staff decisions that may decide to not include them. Best efforts will always be made to ensure all participants have an opportunity to take part, but we do not control all aspects of this type of item. Thank you for your understanding. 

End of Program Main Event 

The last session of our program will be hosted at BC Place on Saturday June 10th and included in the cost of the program are 2 tickets to the Whitecaps FC vs Cincinnati FC which will take place right after the session on field. 

Training Environment 

Registration will open on 27th January 2023 - 9am

Training Environment 

The training curriculum, overall environment and program expectations for the players and all other pertinent programming details will be managed by our Technical Programs Manager and myself, the Technical Director of the club. 

Built upon the guiding principles of our club's Game Model at these age groups, our training sessions are designed to better prepare our members for the competitive nature of the tournaments we are entering. 

Invitations and Rationale

Players who will receive an “invitation” are what we consider “player model” within their respective age group and have excelled in one or more of the following categories: Athletic Ability, Technical Proficiency, Tactical Awareness, Sportsmanship and Socio-Emotional Maturity. These players would form a core for the training groups, thus impacting those around them (younger/older, Invited/Open Registrants) and furthering everyone's developmental goals. 

Players not receiving an invitation are encouraged to register for one of the “open” spots if this program is something that interests them. General registration will open shortly, and will be communicated by Loretta Abdi, our Operations Manager via our club wide PowerUp communication channel. 

Spots are very limited, so please ensure you pay close attention to the enrollment opening date and time; age groups have been known to sell out after only 10 minutes of being open. You cannot reserve a spot within the program prior to the open registration period. 

Please note that players register for Saturday skill centre (boys) and Sunday skill centre (girls) will be unable to participate in Cascadia league due to conflicts in the programming.

Program Dates and Tournament Weekends:

Training Location:

UBC Mini 

*June 10th session is @ BC Place prior to the start of the Whitecaps FC game

**The last session for ALL will take place on that Saturday (no sunday session on the 11th)

Cost: 

Invited Players: $320 (9 sessions)

Open Registrants: $290 (8 sessions)

*2 game tickets to the June 10th Whitecaps FC included in this fee

KIT

All participants will be required to wear VanU Academy Kit this is not included in the program fee. The Club will contact participants prior to the program start regarding how to purchase.

Anticipated Start Times (subject to change) & Training Groups

*Multiple options are available

All times are subject to change & those changes will be communicated in the event they occur

This program will only be offered to VanU Club members

Local Tournaments (Easter, May Long Weekend, June SX Cup)

An additional $85 tournament fee will be charged upon acceptance of participation. We will make best efforts to include all members, however, in the event we do not have viable rosters, we cannot guarantee a tournament for all.  

Portland Tournament (Invite Only)

Given the travel, and nature of this tournament, we are still working out the cost details. That being said, the tournament entry fee, staffing costs and any other miscellaneous costs will be split per team evenly. 

For players receiving an invitation:

*For players receiving an invitation, there will be an expectation that we receive acceptance within 24hrs and registration fees paid within 72hrs (for payment plan inquiries please contact Loretta Abdi the club Operations Manager)

**These Invitations will be sent directly from the Technical Programs Manager at various periods between now and the end of the winter phase. 

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US TO SEE IF YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED

***Invited players are not guaranteed placement on tournament teams as that is dependant on interest and on roster sizes

If you have any questions about this program, it’s process, please do not hesitate to contact Nick Perugini (nick@vancouverunitedfc.com)