Ever wondered what the Canadian collegiate soccer scene looks like?
If you are a prospective student-athlete that has the ambition in playing collegiate soccer in Canada, do you know what it looks like for a regular season in the Fall? What is the training volume, load, expectations, and number of games during a typical week?
Many people outside North America have some understanding of the US collegiate soccer scene but not so much about the Canadian collegiate soccer landscape. There some differences in requirement of qualifications and some similarities in terms of training during regular season.
The US collegiate soccer system values academics as a requirement for a coaching position - a bachelor's degree is a minimum requirement but a Masters degree is preferred, along with knowledge and/or playing and/or coaching experience in NCAA or NAIA. Whereas in Canada, most institutions require a minimum of a CSA B License or equivalent, along with a bachelor's degree, NCCP Introduction to Competition (Level II), Safe Sport, Making Headway and Respect in Sport. Canadian collegiate soccer system values soccer coaching certifications, while the US values the academic education achieved.
The Canadian collegiate system does create a pathway to semi-pro and/or professional opportunities for some student-athletes. Prior to the last seven years or so, the Canadian collegiate system was the highest possible level of soccer in Canada outside the national team programs for athletes aged 17 - 23 years. In the last five years, the establishment of the Canadian Premier League, a professional men's soccer league, has provided a pathway for men from Canadian collegiate system, academies and clubs into the professional scene in Canada.
The recent emergence of the League 1 Canada, which is a semi-pro amateur league, has filled the gap for both men and women to be able to continue to play high level competitive soccer during the summer months to further extend the amount of training and games for collegiate student-athletes. The Canadian collegiate soccer landscape is still somewhat the highest competitive level along with League 1 Canada for women's, outside the national team program.
I have been a collegiate head coach in Canada for the last fourteen years, I hope that sharing my experience of what Canadian collegiate soccer regular season schedule looks like, will help prospective student-athletes and their parents understand the expectations and commitments required to compete in soccer at collegiate level. Its important to be aware of what you (prospective student-athletes) are getting yourself into and be prepared for the rigours of the collegiate soccer Fall regular season prior to arriving for pre-season.
The amount of training volume in a collegiate soccer program in Canada can vary depending on a variety of factors such as the program's philosophy, the level of competition, and the specific requirements of the coach. However, in general, most collegiate soccer programs typically have a training schedule that includes practices and games throughout the fall season, as well as some training and conditioning during the off-season and spring season.
During the fall season, which is typically the main season for college soccer in Canada, teams typically practice for around 2-3 hours per day, 5-6 days a week. This can include a combination of tactical and technical drills, as well as scrimmages and conditioning exercises. In addition to practices, teams will typically play 1-2 games per week during the fall season, which can add up to a significant amount of playing time and training volume. The Fall season would run from August to mid November (includes Pre-season & Post-Season). The Spring Season varies, from November to end of March prior to exams. Some programs would reduce or take December off to allow student-athletes to prepare for their exams and return home for the Christmas & New Year holidays.
Pre-Season
Generally, pre-season starts either in the first or second week of August for 2 – 4 weeks. High amount of training is focused on building the individual’s fitness levels – however many coaches nowadays, have their student-athletes on summer training programs to build their fitness levels prior to arriving for pre-season. Hence more time can be spent on technical development and finessing skills, well as the introduction of tactical identity. Teams would play between 3 – 6 exhibition matches during pre-season.
Regular Season
The start of regular season is different between conferences. Some conferences start in the last week of August and other in the 1st week of September. On average 12 – 16 games are scheduled during regular season. Post-season conference play-offs and championships would begin in the last week of October and National Championships are scheduled for either the 1st week of November (CCAA) or 2nd week (USPORTS).
Following Diagram 1 is a typical weekly regular season schedule that I used during my time coaching collegiate soccer in Canada.
As shown above in Diagram 1, we would play two games over the weekend, (game on Saturday and game on Sunday); Monday would be a recovery day, where the team would go through a stretching or yoga session to aide with recovery. Tuesday & Thursday mornings, student-athletes would train with the Strength & Conditioning coach before attending classes. In the evenings, Tuesday through to Friday, the team trains on-field. The intensity of the sessions and activities conducted for each day varies. On a Friday, a video analysis classroom session would be conducted in preparation for the weekend.
Spring Season
During the spring season, training volume may be reduced, but many teams will still have some level of training and conditioning to maintain fitness and skills. This may include weightlifting, agility drills, and small-sided games. Some more financially established programs with indoor facilities would schedule either 9 v 9 or 11 v 11 exhibition games. Others would play Futsal to offer the student-athletes with opportunity to maintain engagement and game development.
Summer Season
Collegiate coaches will often provide new recruits and returning student-athletes with a summer season fitness program. The expectations that the student-athletes are to train in the summer on their fitness as well as S&C to ensure when they arrive for pre-season, they are in good fitness shape to prepare for what can be a gurgling 2 – 4 weeks of pre-season. At the same time, student-athletes as expected/encouraged to train and play in a competitive summer club soccer competition to be match and physically fit.
Overall, the amount of training volume in a collegiate soccer program can be quite high, as these teams are typically competing at a high level of competition and require a significant amount of practice and preparation to be successful.
Are you a prospective student-athlete interested in pursuing an opportunity to continue your post-secondary education while playing collegiate soccer in Canada or the USA and possibly gaining an athletic and/or academic scholarship – please feel free to contact me for assistance. My contact details can be found on my website www.mackysingh.com or email me at macky@mackysingh.com or message/call me on WhatsApp at +1-403-507-0915.
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