HIGH PERFORMANCE

WHAT IS TEAM MANITOBA?

Under the direction of FOOTBALL CANADA, the governing body for all amateur football in the country, Football Manitoba participates in a variety of approved and sanctioned tackle and non-contact football competitions in a variety of age groups.

These competitions range from Regional to National competitions that meet the standards set out on the Long-Term Athlete Development pathway for football.  All of these competitions follow the guidelines for age-appropriate competition that virtually all sports in Canada have adopted.  Football Manitoba offers opportunities to many athletes every year to represent our province at these competitions with other provinces’ provincial teams.

Through the provincial team process, players can improve skills, have meaningful competition and achieve their goals with respect to the great sport of football.

EXPERIENCE-OPPORTUNITY-INCLUSION

Football Manitoba has a long tradition of developing exceptional athletes, whether their goal is to move on to the next level of football, to become well-rounded athletes for participation in football and other sports, or to be healthy and fit for life.

All of our Team Manitoba programs are open to both boys and girls of any skill level, from players new to our sport, to players with years of experience and football training.  With the best coaching available to develop their skills, they can pursue a spot on one of our final Manitoba rosters, or simply develop skills to continue playing a sport they love at their home program, school or club!

The first steps in our programming are designed to teach, and target each player’s development from whatever their starting point may be.  The primary goal of these sessions are to advance each player’s athletic abilities and knowledge of the game.

INTRODUCTION CAMPS

We invite all players, regardless of how they view their own skill level and ability, to attend our Introduction Camps.  Athletes can learn what true high-performance programming looks like and help them set goals for their development, as well as gain an understanding of the overall process to achieve a spot on a Provincial Team roster.

They will meet and work with our Provincial Team staff as well as other guest coaches from among our programs to receive instruction that is age-appropriate and applicable to their current level.  All attendees will benefit from our Introduction sessions including our elite-level “combine” which measures current abilities and each player’s athleticism through a series of “physical tests”.  Each player can then compare their measurements to other players in their own age category (anonymously) to see how they compare.  The true benefit of the athlete testing is helping each player identify areas for athletic improvement that may be lacking and unique to them and their development as an athlete. 

We are pleased to have the Sport Manitoba Performance Centre staff assisting again to administer the athlete testing for all participants.  Their experience includes developing training programs for athletes from all levels, all the way to those that compete at the Olympics, in professional sports, and from virtually every sport you can think of.

IMPROVING EVERY PLAYER’S ATHLETIC ABILITIES

The Performance Centre will be offering several training options for players that want to continue working with the experts at Sport Manitoba during the off-season,  through personalized training programs to work on areas identified having been under-developed, as well as building on areas that are “on track” to achieve a level of excellence.  Whether it is one, two or three times per week, the options are there to get players ready for a return to football (or any sport) come spring.  Players living outside the immediate Winnipeg area can still take advantage through mobile and remote training offered through the Performance Centre…from anywhere in Manitoba and north-western Ontario!

COMING EARLY 2022

Provincial Team programming continues early in the new year with another round of sessions that are open to all U16 and U18 eligible athletes.  Each player’s football development continues with our Performance Camp in partnership with the University of Manitoba Bison Football coaching staff and players. Again, this extremely high level of coaching will make each player in a smarter, better football player.

Players sometimes do not to attend assuming they aren’t good enough, while other players plan to attend to improve their football knowledge and receive excellent coaching.  Every year we come across players that are far better than they know themselves to be, and in the end, have in fact been selected to represent Manitoba on one of our Provincial Teams!   Don’t count yourself out before you try!

WHAT’S NEXT?

Detailed information on the remaining provincial various team selection processes will be provided in the very near future as our final camp/event schedule is still being finalized for 2022.

Not quite ready for Team Manitoba?  Developmental Camps for these and other ages will be offered early 2022.  These will follow a similar format and same foundation of excellence that our provincial teams use, however competitions will be limited to local events within Manitoba and north-western Ontario.  Following is a list of Football Manitoba Provincial Team opportunities for 2022:

 

TACKLE COMPETITIONS – REGIONAL AND NATIONAL

U16 Team Manitoba – Western Challenge (BC, ALTA, SASK, MAN)
U18 Team Manitoba – Football Canada Cup (National Championship)
U18 Girls Team Manitoba – National Championship

FLAG COMPETITIONS – REGIONAL AND NATIONAL

U16 Boys Team Manitoba – Western Regional (BC, ALTA, SASK, MAN)
U16 Girls Team Manitoba – Western Regional (BC, ALTA, SASK, MAN)
U18 Boys Team Manitoba – National Championship
U18 Girls Team Manitoba – National Championship

More information can be found under PROVINCIAL TEAMS on the menu above!