Ottawa, Ont. – After the successful launch of its Athlete Development Matrix in November 2018, Softball Canada embarked on integrating the matrix with Sport for Life and Own the Podium in order to better align the Athlete Development Matrix with Softball’s Gold Medal Profile.  
 
Softball Canada’s Athlete Development Matrix (ADM) is an outline of the skills and attributes of athletes progressing through each stage of development to provide the greatest probability of success to the individual as they mature - not just with athletic success but also participation for health and social benefits.
 
The ADM is a document to help guide athletes, parents, coaches, local associations and steer softball’s National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) content. It lays out in detail what an athlete should be able to do at each stage of their Long-Term Player Development (LTPD). Softball’s ADM is designed to ensure that athletes do not miss critical skills early in learning the game, therefore leading to more successful softball development.
 
This new Gold Medal Profile integrated version builds upon what was previously created and indicates the skills and abilities required specifically to achieve podium performances and recognition at the highest level of play. It incorporates Softball Canada’s Winning Style of Play which is the progression of performance benchmarks required to move through the pathway to successfully reach the podium within team sports.
 
Aligning the Athlete Development Matrix with the Gold Medal Profile was an important step in moving towards a complete and unified LTPD framework. Working with these two organizations, Softball Canada was able to create a complete and all-encompassing pathway for athletes in softball. Lisa Down, chair of the LTPD committee adds that “the ADM has been a great resource and point of reference for parents and coaches looking to know what skills athletes should be developing over the course of their softball careers. This new version will only build on that and give insight into what’s needed to get to the highest level of play, leading to a more talented pool of athletes across Canada.”
 
Softball Canada would like to thank the Women’s National Team Staff, Own the Podium, Sport for Life and Dave Paetkau for their commitment and tremendous work on this project.
 
For more information and to access V2 of the Athlete Development Matrix visit www.softball.ca/ltpd.