Skill Acquisition Program
(SAP) League

QUICK LINKS: GRADING & TEAM SELECTION POLICY | PLAYER OFFERS POLICY | LFC SAP + DEV BRIEFING DOCUMENT | NOVEMBER TRIALS

“To create a fun environment for girls & boys to enjoy football and develop their skills”

SAP refers to Skill Acquisition Phase. This is the stage of a young footballer’s development when they are aged between 8 and 12 years old.

The goal of the Northern Suburbs Football Association (NSFA) SAP League is to improve development opportunities for players and coaches within local football clubs, while also underpinning the Northern Tigers SAP and the NSFA Super League and Diamond League competitions.

At LFC we believe we offer the most complete development program that focuses on technical skills, team development and importantly, one that focuses on enjoyment of the game.

LFC Vision

LFC will provide young players an opportunity to experience an enhanced football environment, above that provided in social football that will prepare them for the technical and tactical challenges of higher-level football competitions.

Teams

At LFC we aim to have 3 Development Teams per age group.
We enter 2 teams in each SAP League Age Groups plus there will be at least one Development Team per Age Group.

Under 8
Under 9
Under 10
Under 11

Teams are balanced within each age group resulting in two evenly matched teams, with similar skill levels (rather than an “A” and “B” side.)

Number of Players Per Team

U8 & U9: 10 per team
7 field players (inc GK) + 3 substitutes
U10 & U11: 12 per team
9 field players (inc GK) + 3 substitutes

Training

Teams train twice per week, on various days, always finishing before 6pm by qualified and experienced coaches.
Exact details will be provided once ground allocations are confirmed by council and NSFA.

Preseason Training starts in the first week in February and continues until the season completes which is usually in late August.

Off-season Skills & Drills videos to work on can be found here

League Structure

There will be a 15-team league with 15 match days and 2 gala days.

Skills Acquisition and Functional Game Skills Training

SAP philosophy and structure will be consistent with the skill acquisition phase of youth development as detailed in the FA National Curriculum, and centre on the four (4) core skills:

1v1
First Touch
Running with the Ball
Passing/Striking the ball

Trials and Selection

Trials for our SAP squads occur in the middle of November.
Held over two weekends, girls and boys are asked to play in a variety of small sided and full field games so that we can assess their skill level, game awareness and on field attitude.
For kids who have played with the club before, we are also able to access the coach report from the previous year which is a key input into selection decisions.
Positions will be offered shortly afterwards with an Information session held at the clubhouse early in December.
Follow the links for further details on Grading and Selection or the full SAP Parent Briefing Document, (updated in November each year).

Our Coaches

Our coaches are hand-picked to ensure that we have the appropriate balance of coaching skills (technical, tactical and behavioural) to bring out the best in each player and build a cohesive positive culture that reflects LFC values in all our teams.

A pro-active brand of football, based on effective possession, with the cutting edge provided by creative individuals. Defensively the key components are quick transition and intelligent collective pressing. The Playing Style is underpinned by a strong ‘team mentality’, capitalising on Australia’s traditional strengths.

Our SAP coaching team is led by our two Head Coaches, Harry Gleeson and James Plumley. The team is highly qualified, has many years of experience coaching and has been together for many years.

SAP U8 + U9: James Plumley

SAP U10 + U11: Harry Gleeson