MEN’S U17-U21 RESIDENCY
Every year, young players leave behind their friends and family and move to Victoria to pursue their soccer dreams. A key part of the players’ success is receiving a world-class education while enrolled in WIA’s professionally coached, comprehensive standards-based program.
WIA offers a proven program to players from within Canada – Alberta, BC, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and other parts of Eastern Canada – as well as international students from around the world.
The Academy Programs:
Pre Collegiate Pathway: U16-U18: the goal is to pursue post-secondary education scholarship opportunities at UVIC or other universities in Canada and the US.
Academic Pathway: U18-U21: the goal is to develop their football for opportunities in the BC League 1 or other professional clubs while pursuing a Business Administration Diploma at the University of Victoria.
High-Performance Plan
Working in 6-week cycles, the High-Performance Plan includes the following modules:
- Individual Technical training
- Team Tactical training
- Strength training
- Physical and Psychosocial Development
- Strength and Conditioning
- Mental Conditioning
- Leadership Development
- Nutrition Training
- Academic Education
The combination of expert coaching, clear training goals, and annual competition allows for individualized growth technically, tactically, and personally within a world-class setting.
Training sessions include team field sessions with an emphasis on topics such as proactive decision-making, tactical game management, team strategies, and speed of play. WIA coaches also focus on individual development with personalized development plans including video analysis, position-specific instruction, soccer-specific training for strength and conditioning, leadership, and communication skills.
Our Student-athletes in WIA’s academic pathway are expected to prioritize both academics and athletics as their schedule mirrors that of a collegiate program. They meet with their Career Advisor to set up an individual development plan with overall long-term goals, short-term measurable objectives. Every 6 weeks, coaches and players will review their progress and set new objectives when necessary, ahead of the upcoming cycle. Four times a year, players receive a report detailing their progress and future areas of focus which include strength, agility, and endurance test results as well as video review.
2022/23 Training Schedule
| DAY | MORNING SESSION | AFTERNOON/EVENING SESSION |
|---|---|---|
| MONDAY | FREE | SOCCER TRAINING |
| WEDNESDAY | STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING | |
| THURSDAY | FREE | SOCCER TRAINING |
| FRIDAY | FREE | SOCCER TRAINING |
| SUNDAY | LEAGUE MATCHES | SOCCER TRAINING |
Tentative 2022-2023 Showcase Tournaments
| Dates | Venue | Ages | |
|---|---|---|---|
Surf College Cup | Nov 2022 | San Diego, USA | U17 and U19 |
The Dallas Cup | April 2023 | Dallas Texas, USA | U17 and U19 |
The Men’s Season Plan
| PRE-SEASON | COMPETITIVE CYCLE PHASE I | COMPETITIVE CYCLE PHASE II |
|---|---|---|
| MEASURE & EVALUATE | PREPARE & PLAY | PLAY & COMPETE |
| AUGUST – SEPTEMBER | SEPTEMBER – MARCH | APRIL- JULY |
| Physical testing Tactical, Technical & Functional Introduction Individual Development Plans (IDP) | Physical, Tactical, Technical & Functional Competition and Tactical Phase LISA U17/18 & VISL & Showcase Tournaments | Competition & Tactical Phase PACIFIC COAST SOCCER LEAGUE Performance statistics collection & analysis |
2022/23 WIA Competitive Platforms
WIA soccer program consists of teams ranging from high school age to post-high school graduate opportunities for players 18 and older. The program competes across two competitive platforms:
Lower Island Soccer Youth League
WIA U17/18 players will compete in the Lower Island Soccer Association U18 Gold League. The LISA League is a winter competitive league in which teams compete for the BC Soccer Provincial A and B Cup Championship. www.lowerislandsoccer.com
Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL)
The Vancouver Island Soccer League is a winter competitive league for our players to compete for the BC Men’s Provincial Championship and Canadian National Men’s Championships. www.visl.org
Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL)
The Pacific Coast Soccer League is WIA’s main competitive league. The PCSL is an amateur soccer league, currently featuring teams from all over British Columbia. In the past clubs from the USA, Washington and Oregon have competed. PCSL is considered to be British Columbia’s premier league for adult soccer. Westcastle will enter both Men’s and Women’s teams. www.pcsl.org
Professional Trials and College Showcase Tournaments
WIA players have the opportunity to explore professional opportunities in Spain and Belgium through our exchange programs. There are also opportunities to be scouted at international tournaments and college showcases in the US and Canada.
Our Soccer Partners
Westcastle International Academy is proud to work with the following soccer partners.
