MVP History
MVP Football Academy was founded in 2016 by Phil Edworthy and Sean Gaudon. They founded MVP to provide players with alternative development opportunities, specifically focused on youth skills camps in the early stages.
The program shifted towards the 7v7 development model after connecting with former CFL players who had started IDFFL, a 7v7 program and developmental league in the GTA.
Our travel 7v7 program began in 2017, as we began to take our team to compete in tournaments in the United States to provide our players with a better level of competition. Our goal was to provide athletes with the best competition and develop their skills and football IQ to prepare them to play at the University level.
Since our program started, we have 9 Alumni that have gone on to play professional football in the NFL and CFL, 17 players have received NCAA Scholarship offers, and over 50 players have gone on to play U-Sports football in Canada. We have established ourselves as one of the top 7v7 programs in Canada and have formed a coaching staff with over 70 years of experience, over 25 of them at the University level.
MVP PRIORITIES
Develop Players - the football player and the person.
Provide players with exposure to university coaches.
Win tournaments.
MVP is a Not-For-Profit football development program dedicated to preparing Canadian High-School age players to be academically eligible for, and able to compete at, the U-Sports or NCAA levels.
We utilize practices, tournaments, and Showcase Camps to provide players the opportunity and exposure of performing in front of university coaches.
All players compete in US 7v7 tournaments and attend US college recruiting visits to gain exposure during each tournament weekend.
THE MVP DIFFERENCE
Coaches experienced at the Canadian University level - as coaches, players, or both - volunteering their time for free.
Dedication to teaching the specific skills, techniques and schemes required to play at the university levels of football.
Focus on teaching higher-level strategies and concepts so that players are mentally, as well as physically, prepared for the next-level.
Support of players in their journey through the NCAA & U-Sports recruiting process, increasing players exposure to coaches through established networks, and offering advice for both academic and football related topics before and during the process.
Includes access to the ‘Honest Game’ application which provides tracking of NCAA eligibility as grades are earned.
Off-field mentoring & information for continued physical and mental development including skills & technique guidance, strength building and Football IQ development.
RECRUITING
MVP puts a lot of focus on retaining current players through providing an honest, high-quality experience of player development and providing opportunities not offered elsewhere.
MVP Coaches scout players, who are then invited to tryout for the team, in various ways:
At MVP Middle School, High School, and Showcase camps.
Travelling to summer league games to see players perform.
Reviewing game film sent by players, coaches, and parents.
Taking current player input on teammates or opponents that may make the grade.
STRUCTURE
In 2022 MVP fielded one 18u team and one 15u team.
From 2023 the aim is to field two 18u teams and one 15u as we progress into a more detailed development to elite performance model.
The 18u National Team will be the best players taking on the very best competition.
In 2023 the aim is to have the 18u National attend three tournaments in the US, mainly those run by our Battle Sports sponsor where the biggest and best US programs play their top talent consistently, and our own Ontario tournament. In 2024 the aim is to expand to 4 US tournaments, with 5 targeted for 2026 and each year thereafter.
Players in the 18u National team will be those who have shown the best physical preparation & ability as well as mastering the mental aspects focused on by the MVP coaching staff - football IQ, keys, reads, adjustments, etc.
The 18u Regional Team will be a development level for those players either new to the program that are still learning the higher level skills or players graduating from our 15u program that need to acclimate to the bigger, faster environment.
The aim is to maintain the current annual 18u schedule for the Regional team consisting of three US tournaments, which will have fewer of the elite talent programs but still provide high level competition, and our own Ontario tournament.
As MVP caps team roster numbers to ensure each player gets maximised reps and opportunities, in the event of injuries or absences there may be opportunities in a given season for 18u Regional players to be called up to the 18u National Team.
The 15u Team will play in their age group at the same tournaments as the 18u Regional Team, attending 3 US and our own Ontario tournaments.
The long-term vision is for 15u players to graduate through the 18u Regional and onto the 18u National, giving MVP consistency in performance each year. It is envisaged that as this model takes hold the minimal practice time afforded by our geographical model is less of a handicap. This also gives players clear goals within the program as they play and develop.