An assessment of my developmental placement on the 'Performance Pyramid' including a discussion of how my Governing Body has helped my progress.

AS and A Level Physical Education (Sport & Coaching)

Darren Cooper

Contemporary Portfolio

Task

An assessment of my developmental placement on the ‘Performance Pyramid’ including a discussion of how my Governing Body has helped my progress.

The performance pyramid is split up into 4 sections these are:-

Foundation
Participation
Performance
Excellence

Foundation is – The initial first exposure for usually a child in a particular sport. This is also play; this can be just in the garden kick a ball against a wall or fence.

Participation is – Playing regularly at a recreational level, but this is not being committed to a team.

Performance is - Playing regularly for a team being committed to training. This is also playing to represent yourself and your team and this stage is also has a competitive edge to it.

Excellence is – Earning national honours for playing for your country, for football it means the athlete being professional and also an athlete will have a high profile and most probably will be earning high wages each week.

I am currently in the performance part of the performance pyramid. This is because I am representing my school team each week and my local team Feniscowles each week as well. Each time I represent my teams I am very committed to the team and also there is a very high degree of competition involved in playing for these teams.

I first started playing football when I was 5 years of age, at this age I was only playing outside of my house with my Dad. I was only kicking the ball to my Dad and there was no element of competition involved.

This is my progression though the performance pyramid for football from the age of 6.

This is a preview of the whole essay

This is my progression though the performance pyramid for football from the age of 6.

My first real exposure to the participation stage of the performance pyramid for football was at the age 6 when I took part in a 10-week football course, which is held every year for anyone to take part. This is held in Feniscowles which is were I live so therefore I had excellent access to this because it is within walking distance. This was in the season 1992/1993. Then the following season I took part in the same course again by this time I was still in the participation stage of the performance pyramid for football. The next season was possible my first taste of the performance stage of the performance pyramid for football. This is because I was representing my Cub Scout football team, we came runners up in the cup in the 1994/1995 season. At the age of 10 I joined my first Sunday league team it was called Wolstenholme Rink Under 10’s. By this stage I was definitely into the performance stage of the performance pyramid for football because I was training once a week and representing them once a week, I needed to be very committed to carry on doing this for the whole season. After one season with Wolstenholme Rink I left them and joined my local side Feniscowles. This is now the 1996/1997 season and I was representing the Under 11’s. I think that this was probably my best season of football up too this age because at the end of the season I was awarded the managers player of the year. I was still in the performance stage of the performance pyramid for football because I was training and playing once a week. I think at this stage I very probably close to the excellence stage of the performance pyramid for football. In the next season I carried on playing for Feniscowles at the performance level. Then the season after which was the 1998/1999 season I again won the managers player of the year for Feniscowles Under 13’s, again I feel that I was close to the excellence stage of the performance pyramid for football but this is probably the last age at which boys can be scouted by professional teams. Since then I have been playing once a week and training once a week for Feniscowles at a performance level of the performance pyramid for football.

Whilst I have been playing for Wolstenholme Rink and Feniscowles since the of 10 and year 5 in school I have been representing and playing for my respective schools in the football team up to and including year 12 and hopefully year 13.

All though my career in football since the age of 5 I have always and still do when I get a chance go outside of my house with a football a do some kick ups and general skill practise. Also I play football a school during my breaks and lunch times I try to play football just for fun, but there is also an element of competition against my peers.

The only major barriers that I have faced in the past have been from managers. This I is because some managers have their favourites, this was the main reason that I left Wolstenholme Rink. Also the fact that Wolstenholme Rink was based in Darwen made it easier to leave because sometimes I did not have the easiest access to get to a from matches and training due to transport problems. ASK MISS IF ME SUPPORTING MAN UTD CAN BE A BARRIER

The influences that I have received whilst I have been playing are from my parents and uncle, teachers particularly in secondary school and my first manager at Feniscowles who was one of my best friend’s Dad’s. I got support from my parents both financially and from the fact that they took my to matches and training. My uncle always played football with me on the street and he always took me to Feniscowles playing fields whenever he had chance.

This is the performance pyramid for sport in Australia. This I feel is easier to progress from the FOUNDATION level of the performance pyramid to excellence than it is for the English version. This is because the English version has 4 basic blocks above each other; this makes it hard to progress through each band to achieve excellence. The Australian pyramid is shaped like this (below) so it is easier for athletes to progress and even skip a band. The Australian pyramid has its stages next to each other not on top of each other therefore leaving progression open for many people.

In conclusion my governing body has obstructed my progress through the performance pyramid. I think that if the Australian performance pyramid were being used in this country I would have had an increased chance of achieving excellence.