Premier Soccer Academy

At Premier Soccer Academy we are passionate about training youth athletes in their pursuit of short and long term goals. We train players on the principle that exercises need to be decision-based and fundamental to the development of a youth athlete. Premier incorporates this concept while cultivating a professional environment that demands technical skill, cognitive ability and movement. We aim for a world standard benchmark that will enable abundant success on and off the field. We utilize the best curriculum and methods from a variety of environments and apply them at our Academy here in British Columbia, Canada.

Premier emphasizes the player's cognitive development, where the Academy focuses on decision-making exercises that blend the technical and the tactical. We teach 14 key principles, divided into three chapters: Managing Oneself, Managing Space and Managing the Ball. Lastly, Premier assesses each player’s character and zeroes in on this critical part of their athletic journey. With strong character the athlete will be able to capitalize on future athletic opportunities and be ready for the rigours of adulthood. Our mission at Premier Academy is to prepare players technically, physically, tactically and, critically, mentally for post-secondary soccer environments either the U.S. or Canada. Should a player have all the ingredients for professional trials, Premier Academy can utilize its network to set up overseas training environments, trials or “gap years."

Look at Neymar, Pique, Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Cruyff, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, and Maradona - they are all soccer legends who credit their extraordinary skills and technical abilities to Futsal and street soccer. They all have developed their specific skill set outside of a team environment. This is exactly what Premier Soccer Academy is looking to do. Focusing on each individual's personal relationship with the ball. Allow them to build world standards on areas such as their control with the ball, 1st touch, and knowledge of the game. This will contribute to them being "masters" of the game by being innovative, imaginative, entertaining, exciting, and unpredictable. This approach also allows a mental break from the outdoor environment & allows the player to experience a new challenge. The main challenge of Futsal is that it forces a player to have precise ball control with quick decisions because of the limited space that futsal courts have. Mix this component with the high pressure from the opponent and you have a accelerated learning curve that when the player returns to the outdoor field where there is more time & space, the player will able to execute anything that is delivered to them.

FUTSAL FACTS:

Why use futsal as a developmental tool?

Futsal quickly develop skills required for soccer: balance, motor ability, agility, co-ordination, ball mastery, accurate and quick passing and receiving, perception insight and awareness. Children learn through repetition and practice in small areas this occurs naturally. As Futsal is fast and action packed, fitness is improved while learning and having fun. Futsal includes more playing time than field soccer, fast action and a bundle of frequent touches. Games are high scoring with numerous goals made by various players. Children learn so much faster if they enjoy the game and spend a lot of time playing with the ball. Futsal = Organized street soccer.

Ball Touches:

In a statistical study comparing Futsal to indoor arena soccer with walls, players touch the ball 210% more often. Imagine the percentage increase if a survey was done for Futsal vs outdoor soccer.

Ball Control: 

With limited space, an out of bounds and constant opponent pressure, improved ball control skills and technique are required.

Speed of Play: 

With limited space, constant opponent pressure and a 4 second restart rule players learn to play and think fast.

Mandatory Support:

Without a wall as a crutch, players must make supporting runs when their teammates have the ball.

Continuity of Play: 

Action is continuous so players are forced to continue the play instead of stopping and watching.

Knowledge:

With four court players and all the basic options of the outdoor game in non-stop action mode, players' understanding of the game is enhanced.

Framing the Goal:

The goal and Penalty Area are a perfect size for narrowing the angle so teams learn to frame the goal to score goals.

Premiere Soccer Academy is committed to providing a sport and work environment which promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices and bullying. Harassment is a form of discrimination which is prohibited by human rights legislation in Canada. Bullying involves a person expressing their power through the humiliation of another person. Bullying may be a form of harassment but also has some of its own defining characteristics. The sport setting is one setting in which bullying occurs. In some cases coaches and players use bullying tactics deliberately to motivate performance and to weaken opponents. PSA supports the right of all its members, whether athletes, volunteers or employees, to participate in all PSA activities free from any form of harassment and bullying. Further, PSA emphasizes the importance of eliminating harassment and bullying in soccer as a key element in ensuring the safety of young participants. A sports environment which actively discourages harassment and bullying and builds relationships based on trust and mutual respect, is an environment which discourages the abuse of children and youth, and encourages the overall development of the individual.

In order to further these objectives, PSA will make every reasonable effort to promote awareness of the problem of harassment and bullying among all its members, and to respond quickly and effectively to complaints or disclosures of harassment or bullying.

POLICY

It is the policy of Premiere Soccer Academy of Canada (“PSA”) that there shall be no abuse and neglect, whether physical, emotional or sexual of any participant in any of its programs. PSA expects every parent, volunteer and staff member to take all reasonable steps to safeguard the welfare of its participants and protect them from any form of maltreatment.

    It is the policy of Premiere Soccer Academy of Canada that harassment and bullying in all its forms will not be tolerated during the course of any activity or program. Accordingly, all “PSA” coaches and partners (parents/guardians) are responsible for making every reasonable effort to uphold this commitment. Specifically, this includes refraining from harassing or bullying behavior, responding promptly and informally to minor incidents of harassment or bullying and following local or national policy guidelines for reporting or responding to more serious complaints of harassment or bullying. Players and other participants are expected to refrain from harassing or bullying behavior and are encouraged to report incidents of harassment or bullying.

In order to further these objectives, PSA will make every reasonable effort to promote awareness of the problem of harassment and bullying among all its members, and to respond quickly and effectively to complaints or disclosures of harassment or bullying.

RELATIONSHIP TO HARASSMENT/ BULLYING POLICY

Some behaviours which are defined as abuse, when a child or youth’s protection is at risk, can also constitute harassment or bullying, when the behavior breaches human rights or appropriate relationship/conduct boundaries. PSA Harassment/Bullying Policy covers such behaviours. Together, the two policies address the entire spectrum of abusive, bullying and harassing behaviours.

Recognition and Prevention of Abuse Policy: This policy sets out the principles and practices of PSA with regards to abusive behaviour towards participants.

EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Emotional abuse is a chronic attack on a child's self-esteem; it is psychologically destructive behaviour by a person in a position of power, authority or trust. It can take the form of name-calling, threatening, ridiculing, berating, intimidating, isolating, hazing or ignoring the child's needs.

PHYSICAL ABUSE

Physical abuse is when a person in a position of power or trust purposefully injures or threatens to injure a child or youth. This may take the form of slapping, hitting, shaking, kicking, pulling hair or ears, throwing, shoving, grabbing, hazing or excessive exercise as a form of punishment.

NEGLECT

Neglect is chronic inattention to the basic necessities of life such as clothing, shelter, nutritious diets, education, good hygiene, supervision, medical and dental care, adequate rest, safe environment, moral guidance and discipline, exercise and fresh air. This may occur in soccer when injuries are not adequately treated or players are made to play with injuries, equipment is inadequate or unsafe, no-one intervenes when team members are persistently harassing another player, or road trips are not properly supervised.
 

DEFINITION OF HARASSMENT

Harassment is defined as conduct, gestures or comments which are insulting, intimidating, humiliating, hurtful, malicious, degrading or otherwise offensive to an individual or group of individuals, and which create a hostile or intimidating environment for work or sports activities, or which negatively affect performance or work conditions. Any of the different forms of harassment must be based on the grounds prohibited in human rights legislation, such as race, ethnicity, colour, religion, age, sex, marital status, family status, disability, pardoned conviction and sexual orientation. Harassment may occur among anyone over the age of 12, between peers (eg: player to player of the same age group, parent to official, coach to coach) or between someone in a position of power or authority and an adult in a subordinate position (eg: coach to player, sports administrator to employee). The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of harassment:

1. Unwelcome jokes, innuendo or teasing about a person's body, looks, race, sexual orientation etc.

2. Condescending, patronizing, threatening or punishing actions which undermine self-esteem

3. Practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment, or may endanger a person's safety

4. Degrading or inappropriate hazing rituals

5. Unwanted or unnecessary physical contact including touching, patting, pinching

6. Unwanted conduct, comments, gestures or invitations of a sexual nature which are likely to cause offence or humiliation, or which might on reasonable grounds be perceived as placing a condition of a sexual nature on employment or on any opportunity for training or advancement

7. Sexual assault or physical assault

It is important to note that the behaviours described in items 5 to 7, when directed towards a child or youth, constitute abuse under child protection legislation. This may also be true of other behaviours, for example, certain hazing practices. In such cases, the duty to report provisions of the Recognition and Prevention of Abuse Policy are applicable.

DEFINITION OF BULLYING

Bullying involves a person expressing their power through the humiliation of another person. Bullying describes behaviours that are similar to harassment, but occur between children under the age of twelve, or behaviours between youth or between adults that are not addressed under human rights laws. Bullies are typically cruel, demeaning and hostile towards the targets of their bullying. The issue of bullying is not addressed by the law, however, bullying behaviour is similar to harassment in that it is defined as hurtful interpersonal mistreatment of a person. Bullying can be broken down into four types;

physical (hit or kick victims; take/damage personal property), verbal (name calling; insults; constant teasing), relational (try to cut off victims from social connection by convincing peers to exclude or reject a certain person), and reactive (engage in bullying as well as provoke bullies to attack by taunting them). The following is a non-exhaustive list of tactics used by bullies to control their targets:

1. Unwarranted yelling and screaming directed at the target

2. Continually criticizing the target’s abilities

3. Blaming the target of the bullying for mistakes

4. Making unreasonable demands related to performance

5. Repeated insults or put downs of the target

6. Repeated threats to remove or restrict opportunities or privileges

7. Denying or discounting the targets accomplishments

8. Threats of and actual physical violence

DUTY TO REPORT

Abuse and neglect are community problems requiring urgent attention. PSA is committed to help reduce and prevent the abuse and neglect of participants. PSA realizes that their trainers/coaches that are working closely with children and youth have a special awareness of abusive situations. Therefore, they have a particular reporting responsibility to ensure the safety of the parent/guardian’s young, by knowing their provincial protection acts and following through as required.

Every province and territory in Canada, except the Yukon, has mandatory reporting laws regarding the abuse and neglect of children and youth; the Yukon requests that concerns be reported. Consequently, it is the policy of PSA that any PSA personnel, volunteer, and participant, or PSA (parent, guardian) who, has reasonable grounds to suspect that a participant is or may be suffering or may have suffered from emotional, physical abuse and neglect and/or sexual abuse shall immediately report the suspicion and the information on which it is based to the local child protection agency and/or the local police detachment. Across Canada a person is considered a child up to the age of 16 to 19 years depending on provincial legislation.

Those involved with PSA in providing soccer development for participants understand and agree that abuse or neglect, as defined above, may be the subject of a criminal investigation and/or disciplinary procedures. Failure to report an offence and thereby, failure to provide safety for participants may render the adult who keeps silent legally liable for conviction under the provincial child protection acts.

RESPONSE AND REMEDIES

It is the position of PSA that harassment and bullying cannot and should not be tolerated in any environment, including soccer. Both harassment and bullying are unacceptable and harmful. PSA recognizes the serious negative impact of all types of harassment and bullying on personal dignity, individual and group development and performance, enjoyment of the game and in some cases, personal safety.

At the same time, PSA recognizes that not all incidents of harassment and bullying are equally serious in their consequences. Both harassment and bullying cover a wide spectrum of behaviours, and the response to both must be equally broad in range, appropriate to the behaviour in question and capable of providing a constructive remedy. There must be no summary justice or hasty punishment. The process of investigation and settlement of any complaint of harassment or bullying must be fair to all parties, allowing adequate opportunity for the presentation of a response to the allegations.

Minor incidents of harassment or bullying should be corrected promptly and informally, taking a constructive approach and with the goal of bringing about a change in negative attitudes and behaviour.

More serious incidents should be dealt with according. Complaints should be handled in a timely, sensitive, responsible and confidential manner. There should be no tolerance of reprisals taken against any party to a complaint. The names of parties and the circumstances of the complaint should be kept confidential except where disclosure is necessary for the purposes of investigation or taking disciplinary measures.

Anyone making a complaint which is found to be clearly unfounded, false, malicious or frivolous may be subject to discipline.