CF MONTREAL CLUB GUIDE

Montreal Impact Youth Development Academy

The Montreal Impact Academy is the cornerstone for the development of players wishing to reach the Montreal Impact’s MLS team. After its first years of existence, the development structure aims to produce not only squad players, but also starters for the first team that will have a positive impact on the game.

Beyond the athletic structure, the Academy is also a living environment, with passion and emotions, where efforts, perseverance, friendship and humility are experienced daily to strengthen our club’s identity. These values are key to growing within this club.

Montreal Impact Academy: Sports Program

The sporting structure includes around 180 young players wearing the Montreal Impact colors with four Academy teams (U23, U17, U15 and U14) and five Pre-Academy teams (U9 to U13). This youth development setup has a single goal: developing starters for the first team.

The student-athlete joining the sport-études program at the Montreal Impact Academy gets:

• High-level soccer training with qualified educators.
• Access to the Montreal Impact infrastructure.
• Teaching of the club’s sporting and social values.
• Full development divided into four aspects: physical, psychological, technical and tactical.
• A 12-month sports training and coaching program (including rest periods).
• Access to the club’s athletic specialists: fitness coach, mental coach, doctor, invited coaches, nutritionists.
• Different meetings with established professionals.

A full team

A staff of over 20 people works full time in the technical, administrative, medical, physical preparation and mental preparation fields to ensure daily progress for the Academy players.

A regular and individualized medical follow-up
Medical follow-up is an essential part of the development of a young player. The Academy provides individualized follow-up of their players to prevent injuries and put them in the best possible physical conditions. Follow-up is covered by a head therapist, an assistant therapist and two fitness coaches. Our therapists attend every training session and game, and they discuss with coaches and players on a daily basis to detect any problem, prevent and treat injuries and provide advice to stay healthy.

A head physician and a general practitioner are also available for the players.

Regular reviews
Biomechanical evaluations and fitness tests are conducted on every player throughout the year. Three times per year, 50-point individual reviews are done with the coach, the player and his parents.

Montreal Impact Academy: School Program

The sport-etudes program is unique in North America and specific to Quebec. It’s an essential tool to manage the schedule of a standard academic path while pursuing high-level athletic development. This program is recognized and sanctioned by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur and by the Quebec Soccer Federation.

The program has a strict rule: prioritize academic success before athletic success.

Players have to maintain a good academic record, with a minimum general average of 75% and at least 65% in mathematics and French.

During his formation, the student-athlete will have access to:

• an education adapted to the training and competition schedule;
• a system in place for classes missed because of sporting activities;
• a supervised and mandatory study period every day;
• recovery classes at the request of the coach, teacher, parent or student.

Schedule and holidays
From Monday to Friday, class ends at 12:25pm and are followed by training. The schedule is adapted during exam periods and according to the league calendar. All players have two weeks off for the winter holidays and three weeks in the summer, between July and the beginning of August. During summer, training sessions at Centre Nutrilait are held from 1:30pm to 3pm for the U14s and U15s, and from 3pm to 5pm for the U17s and U23s.

Montreal Impact High schools
The Impact has partnerships with five different high schools in Montreal:

• École secondaire Édouard-Montpetit (French)
• École secondaire Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry (French)
• Collège de Montréal (French, private)
• Lester B. Pearson High School (English)
• John Rennie High School (English)

Our partner schools have a lot of experience in sport-etudes programs as well as great proximity by their pedagogical team with players for personalized follow-ups, for class and exam recovery and tutoring programs. There is also close contact between the schools and the Academy, in order to monitor the player’s behavior, along with communication with parents.

Our student-athletes from our five partner schools are grouped in classes with other athletes registered in sport-etudes programs.

Cegep
The Academy strongly encourages its players to continue their academic path by going to a sports-etudes alliance cegep. This allows the player to tailor his course schedule around training hours. For more information: www.alliancesportetudes.ca.

University
Some universities like UQAM and Université de Montréal/HEC recognize the status of Athletic Excellence and allow us to keep some flexibility for the classes and exams, according to the schedules.

Transportation
The morning transportation to go to school and to come back from practice at the end of the day is the family’s responsibility.

Transportation between the school and the training centre is offered by an Academy shuttle for the Édouard-Montpetit and Lester B. Pearson high schools. For Antoine-de-St-Exupéry high school, the school provides the shuttle service. For players going to John Rennie High School, there is no shuttle; public transport must be used when possible.

Please note that the players are training from April to November at Centre Nutrilait, located at 411 avenue Létourneux, Montreal.

From November to April, they train at Complexe sportif Marie-Victorin, located at 7000 boulevard Maurice-Duplessis, Montreal.

Outside of school hours, players have to get to the training sessions on their own.

Costs
With a cost of admission more for symbolic purposes, the Impact looks to confirm the seriousness of the candidates who wish to partake in the Academy’s developmental structure. At the Montreal Impact Academy, talent should take precedence over financial resources. Consequently, upon completion of grade 8, the student-athlete will participate in the program free of charge, upon confirmation of his capabilities and commitment to the Montreal Impact after the first two years of high school.

Grade 7: $700
Grade 8: $500
From grade 9 onwards: free

Government aid is available for players in high school (whose parents are Quebec residents, for a 10-month period).

Montreal Impact Pre-Academy

The Pre-Academy is:

• A developmental program for young soccer players from ages 8 through 12.
• For young players living in the Montreal and surrounding areas (20 km around Stade Saputo).
• A complete season from mid-April to March.
• Two to four training sessions (and one game) per week, depending on the age group.
• 80 players, five teams: U9, U10, U11, U12, U13.

Objectives

• Share the bases of the philosophy and playing identity developed through the Montreal Impact Academy.
• Develop young athletes that are responsible and blooming citizens in their social life, able to transmit the sport’s fundamental values: willingness to work, surpass oneself, respect the rules and respect of others.

Competitions

• Summer games are played mostly at the Centre Nutrilait, during the weekend.

Technical supervision

• A Pre-Academy technical coordinator and a Pre-Academy administrative coordinator
• One head coach and one assistant coach per team
• A goalkeeper coach for all teams

Every Montreal Impact Pre-Academy player will receive:

• A high-level soccer training with qualified coaches
• Access to a professional club structure
• Education of social and sports values advocated by the club in each of its teams
• Integral development of the four facets: physical, psychological, technical and tactical
• Training and sporting management programmed over 12 months (including rest periods)
• Access to and monitoring by the club’s athletic specialists: the Montreal Impact Academy coaches.

Registration cost (per year)

• U8-U9-U10: $2000
• U11-U12: $2350

Possibility to pay with a deposit at registration and three more payments in the three following months.

For more information – Receipt for Children’s fitness tax credit

These costs include:

• Field rental + registrations to leagues and tournaments
• Full Adidas training kit
• Pre-Academy coaches’ salaries

Several activities will also be offered during the season to players and parents.

Further information on the Pre-Academy for Montréal Impact can be found by clicking here.

Montreal Impact The Academy Institute

Throughout the year, our Academy members are involved in activities outside of soccer as part of the Academy Institute, which will be used to help our players in their development, their personal culture and as a tool to become a professional player.

For example, players will participate in various courses that will help them with their personal development as a player. This could include dance and zumba classes to work on their coordination and to remove them from their comfort zone, as well as classes on hygiene, communication, the history of the club, soccer culture or even information sessions with top-level athletes from other disciplines.

The goal of these classes is to make young Montreal Impact players more autonomous in their preparation. The Institute adapts itself to age groups, with classes on a better understanding of one’s self and the club’s history for the U14 and U15 groups, and an emphasis on invisible preparation for the U17 and U23 teams.

Montreal Impact Recruitment and Detection Camps

The Montreal Impact Academy has two main methods of recruitment, which include open detection camps and screening calls.

1. Open detection camps

These tryouts are organized by the Montreal Impact and open to all the players (foreign players also). The training sessions help the technical staff identify players that fit the Academy’s profile. The tryouts are carried out over a few stages. Registration can only be done online on the Academy’s website (registration fee to pay online).

2. Screening cells

Our coaches and scouts are present throughout the province, and our vast network of contacts within the Montreal Impact organization allows for the club to be on the lookout for players in all regions and all competitions in Quebec. When discovered, a player is offered a chance to play with one of the Academy teams, or offered a chance to attend one of the detection camps.

For more information on upcoming detection camps, please click here.

Montreal Impact Foreign Players

Tryouts are open to foreigners but the club will not be responsible for any fees such as flights, accommodations, food, nor will the club issue any official letter of invitation.

If a foreign player is selected following the tryouts, he must also ensure that he can bear the various costs related to his stay: tuition fees (optional, only if the player wishes to continue his studies) for foreigners (approximately $9 500 a year), the required student visa (roughly $1 500), lodging, meals and transportation (about $10 000 a year). The club will not be responsible for any of these expenses.

The Montreal Impact (French: Impact de Montréal) are a Canadian professional soccer team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Impact competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The team began play in 2012 as an expansion team of the league, being the league’s third Canadian club, and replaced the North American Soccer League team of the same name.

In 2015, the Impact became the second MLS club, and first Canadian club, to advance to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, in its current name since 2008, where they finished runners-up in the two-game aggregate goal series against Club América. The Impact won the Canadian Championship in 2013, 2014 and 2019. The club plays its home games at Saputo Stadium and is coached by Thierry Henry.