Players at the Foundation level learn the basic movement skills, and have low levels of knowledge and understanding. They are developing positive attitudes to physical activity, and are becoming movement literate. The players normally play at Primary School where it is compulsory. Players at Participation are doing the sport for recreational reasons, where they are considering and deciding their leisure options. The reasons can be for health, fitness, and socially with friends to enjoy football, where it is less competitive.
Players at Performance aim to improve their standards through coaching, competition and training. The levels at Performance are under a huge range. It can go from, House Level in Secondary School, to College Level, to County Level and Finally Regional Level. So players in performance ability levels are very varied to the standard of the players. Then there is Excellence where players are reaching nationally and internationally recognised standards of performance for country or professional level.
For example playing for any of the four professional divisions of football or for England. I am at the performance level and I feel that is where I will stay I am currently playing at college level and I am not to far off county level, but I think I would have been in the county team by now if I was going to be. My goal when I was younger was to achieve excellence but now I have realised I am happy with my performance.
I have had help from coaches over my footballing career since when I started at around 6. Until now at college is where I have received some proper coaching, as before the coaches before haven’t had the right training or football knowledge. I feel that if I had sufficient coaching previously I may have progressed further up the pyramid; also there aren’t as many professional clubs in the area that means I would have had a greater chance of being scouted by some clubs.