The newly established Regional Talent Centres (RTC’s) are aimed at providing more players with more high quality football training experiences intended to unlock, explore and develop talent.  The notion of providing more players with more opportunities is a key philosophy driving this new inclusive approach.  By widening talent pools and therefore exposing more players to coordinated training programmes that enhance football techniques and skills WaiBOP Football aims to achieve the following objectives

Objectives

1.     To create a unified approach for the development of talent throughout Waikato Bay of Plenty in order to provide our talented players with the best opportunity to optimise their potential. 

2.     To implement a philosophy of talent inclusion and eliminate barriers such as cost, geographical isolation and the relative age effect

3.     To create a talented player development program that sustains success for generations to come.

4.     To provide a quality pathway for talented coaches to reach their coaching potential and to align our best coaches with our best players

Players attending the RTC’s will be exposed to 2 x 9 week blocks of development (18 weeks total), operating largely outside of the conventional football season in School Terms one and four.

Traditional ‘chronological’ policies and grouping methods will be replaced with a contemporary approach of ‘bio –banding’ players based on their biological and football age (football ability) to ensure development is specific to the needs of the players attending the RTC’s. 

Players will also be encouraged to complete and record a minimum of 10 hours per week of additional activity on top of the time spent in the RTC’s.  This work may be conducted through playing football informally with friends, practicing on their own or with family and friends, or even engaging in strength and conditioning exercises.  Cross training in sports that have transfer effects across to football will also be encouraged to accumulate these additional training hours.

In a bid to break down the traditional barriers associated with travel to and from historical WaiBOP development programmes, and to encourage more of our talented players to remain involved in this new programme, the centres will be strategically spread throughout our Federation on demographic and geographical bases to ensure easier access to more players. 

The breakdown of the WaiBOP regional talent centres are as follows:

1.     Waikato: 6 coaches servicing - 60 boys and 60 girls

2.     Western BOP (WBOB/Thames / Coromandel): 4 coaches servicing - 40 boys and 40 girls

3.     Central and Eastern BOP (EBOP/Rotorua/Taupo): 4 coaches servicing 40 boys and 40 girls

Challenge Matches will also be arranged to provide selected players with an opportunity to test themselves against our neighbouring federations.

Contact the Football Development Officer in your area for more details

Western BOP and Thames / Coromandel        
Peter Smith on 027 583 0883 or peter.s@waibopfootball.co.nz

Central and Eastern BOP  
Nicola Demaine on 07 348 4125, ext. 608, or nicol.d@waibopfootball.co.nz

Waikato
Paul Stewart on 07 843 1368, ext. 9, or paul.s@waibopfootball.co.nz