Forms and Documents

The Highlanders’ Long Term Player Development Model progressively graduates players through the stages of technical development, helping them put in place prerequisite techniques before moving to the next level of performance. If you have these tools by age 14, your ability to work on varied tactics becomes greatly enhanced. In soccer organized by age group alone, and this is no slight on clubs because they have to be organized by age groups, players are matched with the potential for wide variances in competencies. In this model the challenge for top players is limited, and less competent players will only progress if they are highly motivated. Also, we often find the top player’s learning curve will plateau because they are not highly motivated nor challenged. Meanwhile, the lower level player matched with stronger players, plays less, achieves less, is discouraged by the disparity and we often lose them from the game.