ASTRA in a Nutshell

ASTRA has changed a lot in the 10 short years we have been in existence. Over that time, our programming and focus has evolved to meet the needs of our members and our stature within the Saskatchewan Soccer Community has also changed. For instance, ASTRA was recently announced by Canada Soccer as one of two National Youth Club Licence Holders in Saskatchewan (QC United in Regina was the other), and 1 of only 59 soccer organizations across Canada to achieve this standard of excellence. Even with our work being recognized on a national level, there are still many misconceptions about what we do and the role we play within the local soccer community. The purpose of the following Q & A is to provide current and relevant information about some of the most commonly asked questions that we receive.

Q: Who should join ASTRA?
A: Anyone interested in improving their soccer skills and learning more about the game. ASTRA is its own Member Organization which means that players from anywhere in Saskatchewan can register with us. There are no zoning requirements.

Q: Does my child need to be a skilled or "talented" soccer player to join ASTRA?
A: No. It's a misconception that ASTRA is only for "talented" players. The reality is that we are very good at developing technical players with high Soccer IQ's but many people don't realize that this is a result of hundreds of hours of dedicated training. Typically the "best" players in each ASTRA group have also been at ASTRA the longest and display characteristics of a growth-mindset.

Q: What makes ASTRA different from other soccer programs?
A: Our main focus is on developing each individual player with the intent of helping them reach higher levels of the game. We measure success by the number of players we push on to higher levels but also the number of players who continue on in the game, either as adult players, referees, or coaches. This isn't to say that we don't value team successes, it just means that we don't let wins and losses define the work that we do. Player development is a long and tedious journey, you can't skip steps and you can't rush the process.

Q: How do ASTRA players stack up against players from other programs across the province?
A: ASTRA players regularly make-up a large percentage of the players selected to represent Saskatchewan at the Canada Games and Western Canada Games events. ASTRA players also represent the majority (60%) of female athletes selected to the High Performance Stream Regional Excellence Centre (REX) -, and 33% of the male athletes selected to the Whitecaps FC Academy in Saskatchewan.

Q: Is it true that the players only train, and don't play any games?
A: No. Competition takes on a variety of different formats throughout an athlete's journey at ASTRA. U7 and U9 players participate within our internal House-Leagues in addition to local tournaments. Starting in the Indoor 2022/2023 season our U11 players will participate in our 4v4 Leagues while also playing in local and regional travel tournaments. In the Indoor season, our U13 - U15 players form Travel Teams and participate in 4 to 5 tournaments within and outside of Saskatchewan, and then participate in Saskatchewan Soccer's Provincial Soccer League (PSL) during the summer months. Our U17/U18 programs participate in the local adult leagues in the Indoor season in addition to tournaments and College Showcase Events. They also participate in the PSL during the summer (U17).

Q: Why doesn't ASTRA enter teams into the Saskatoon Youth Soccer Leagues?
A: Saskatoon Youth Soccer Inc. (SYSI) is a league operator and is also the Member Organization for 5 local zones within Saskatoon. At this time, SYSI has chosen to only allow league access to teams from within their own Member Organization as well as the Valley United Soccer Club (VUSC), a club that works with players from the Warman and Martensville area.

Q: Why is ASTRA more expensive than other soccer programs in Saskatoon?
A: ASTRA is only as good as the coaches that run our programs, and to that end, all coaches are paid for their coaching services. Our coaches have played the game at a University level or higher, hold licences within the Canada Soccer Advanced Coach Education Program , typically have careers as teachers or other professions working with children or youth, and are overall great role models for the players and go over and beyond what is expected from a youth soccer coach. We don't have volunteer parents here, but we do recognize and appreciate that volunteers are an integral part of growing the game in our province. U7, U9, and U11 programs are based on $15.00/hr of instruction, and U13, U15, and U17 are based on $17.50/hr of instruction. These prices have not increased since 2016.

Q: Do most players only play with ASTRA or do they also have a club team?
A: ASTRA began as a Supplementary Training Program back in 2011 and at that time the overwhelming majority of players played with a club, and also trained at ASTRA. With ASTRA now becoming its own Member Organization and achieving a National Youth Club Licence, we have access to more opportunities and streams of participation. This means that more and more families are choosing to remain exclusively with ASTRA because we are now able to provide top quality training and meaningful competition at every stage of development. With that said, we also offer Supplemental Training Sessions for a variety of age groups; these are ideal for players who would like to remain with their home club but also take advantage of ASTRA training once per week. View our Player Pathway.