How should I plan my season, practices and tournaments at U12?

Question

Accepted Answer

The Canada Soccer Grassroots Standards put U12-U13 in the Learn to Train stage. For that stage they set:

Season or block length: 10 to 22 weeks, with at least 2 weeks between seasons or blocks.
Practice-to-match ratio: 2:1 or 3:1.
Structured practice length: 60 to 90 minutes.
Match days per week: 1 (respecting the practice-to-match ratio).
Tournaments ("memorable events"): 3 per season. Some flexibility is allowed at U12/U13, so tournaments may include elimination games, though festival-style is preferred.
Team travel time: under 60 minutes each way.