State Team To Selected from New Jersey Youth Soccer’s ODP
The US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program has been in existence since 1977. It was the first program introduced to help identify potential national team youth players through an organized series of trials which began at the district or local level, progressed through the state, region and finally the national level.
Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is proud of its relationship with NJ Youth Soccer and supports player development through the Olympic Development Program (ODP). In cooperation with U.S. Youth Soccer, the 2016 NJYS ODP will identify a select pool of 1999 to 2003 elite-level boy and girl players from which a state team will be selected in early 2016.
Sky Blue’s current roster boasts decades of ODP experience, including head coach and technical director, Jim Gabarra. “As a former ODP player myself, I believe in the value of the program. It helped develop so many of the players on our current roster, including World Cup stars like Kelley O’Hara. We look forward to supporting NJ Youth Soccer and seeing ODP identify girls that will one day wear the Sky Blue FC uniform,” said Gabarra.
The majority of players on the roster have ties to ODP from state associations around the country. “The NJ Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program was a catalyst for my playing career and helped me reach the U.S. National Team program,” said Sky Blue FC forward, Maya Hayes. “It also helped me develop lifelong friendships. I met my best friend in NJYS ODP and competed at Penn State University alongside five women from the ODP regional team.”
2016 Olympic Development Program (ODP) tryouts will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 25-26 and August 8-9 at the College of New Jersey in Ewing.
ODP Tryout Schedule:
9:00am – 10:30am 2003 birth year
10:30am – 12:00pm 2002 birth year
1:00pm – 2:30pm 2001 birth year
2:30pm – 4:00pm 2000 birth year
4:00pm – 5:30pm 1999 birth year
State team players will be considered for U.S. Youth Soccer Region I teams which may also offer opportunities for international competition. In recent years, selected NJ players have traveled to South Africa, Turkey, Italy and Argentina for competition. Girls and boys selected for the Regional ODP team pools are also candidates for the U.S. National Team selection process.
Candidates are evaluated on four key soccer components: technique, tactics, athletic ability, and psychological component (attitude). Players are selected by NJ Youth Soccer ODP coaches who are recognized for their ability to identify and train players with superior skills.
Tryout times are based upon age group and pre-registration costs $40. To pre-register and learn more, visit the NJYS ODP website or call (609) 490-0725 x1.
Becoming your best on the field involves observing the best when you are off the field. To assist with that development, players registered for tryouts will receive discount tickets to select 2015 New York Red Bulls and Sky Blue FC matches this summer.
