U.S. Soccer Launches Girls Development Academy
Youth Soccer News: U.S. Soccer has announced the first 25 teams of its Girls Development Academy that is set to kick off in fall of 2017. The 10-month season in the Academy provides for an improved environment that supports year round periodization for development and will begin in the Fall of 2017.
“U.S. Soccer is excited to announce the first group of clubs that will join the Academy program,” said Jared Micklos, Development Academy Director. “These clubs have made a serious commitment to the growth and development of female players in our country. Our staff look forward to supporting these clubs as we work together to continue producing world class female players.”
U.S. Soccer believes the creation of the Girl’s Development Academy will provide the elite female player with an improved player development model. We are focusing on an elite group of players that want to continue at the next level, whether that is professional or college. For the elite player, the Development Academy provides a more focused environment for player development through more training, fewer matches but against better competition.
According to the press release from U.S. Soccer Development Academy, “While we considered the option of working with existing programs in the girl’s youth landscape, we determined creating the Girl’s Academy was the best step to provide players with the best environment to accelerate their development.”
U.S. Soccer believes the Development Academy will have a profound impact on those elite youth soccer players who are selected to play in this specially focused environment with increased exposure to top coaches in the United States and from around the world.
The number of players in the Girl’s Development Academy only involves one percent of the overall number of high school soccer players in the United States. High school soccer will continue to have an important place in the girls’ soccer landscape.
Every player has a choice to play high school soccer or be part of the Development Academy.
The standards that will comprise the league consist of increasing the training to game ratio, playing fewer but more competitive matches and providing assistance for coaching education and development.
Portland Thorns FC, Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit and Sky Blue FC are among the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) clubs that will field a team.
The 25 teams accepted into the program have produced 307 players for U.S. Soccer’s National Teams (youth and senior) as well as 84 professional players. These clubs will provide 276 full scholarships with a total of $1.49 million of scholarship funds being contributed.
“Colin Chesters and the Surf SC staff have worked relentlessly over the past years to create a special environment for our girls program,” says Josh Henderson, Director of San Diego Surf SC. “We feel great pride and joy to be selected in the first wave of 25 clubs. U.S. Soccer is the best in the world in the woman’s game and we look forward to working closely with them to implement any and all new ideas that the league brings with Mark Spooner and all of our girls coaching staff.”
The program will feature three combined age groups: U-14/15, U-16/17 and U-18/19. Through combining age groups, this will require clubs to form teams with a balanced roster of players from two distinct birth years. The development program will serve as pathway to the Youth National Teams with matches being scouted by U.S. Soccer.
U.S. Soccer is excited to welcome the following clubs:
| Beach FC (Torrance, Calif.) | FC Dallas (Frisco, Texas) | Real Colorado (Highlands Ranch, Co.) |
| Boston Breakers (Watertown, Mass.) | LAFC Slammers (Los Angeles, Calif.) | San Diego Surf (San Diego, Calif.) |
| CASL (Raleigh, N.C.) | Lamorinda (Moraga, Calif.) | Seattle Reign (Seattle, Wash.) |
| Cincinnati Development Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio) | Michigan Hawks (Livonia, Mich.) | Sky Blue FC-PDA (Bernardsville, N.J.) |
| Mustang (Danville, Calif.) | So Cal Blues (Rancho Capistrano, Calif.) | |
| Colorado Rush (Littleton, Co.) | Orlando Pride (Orlando, Fla.) | Sockers FC (Palatine, Ill.) |
| Concorde Fire (Atlanta, Ga.) | Penn Fusion SA (Westtown, Pa.) | Solar Chelsea SC (Dallas, Texas) |
| Crossfire (Redmond, Wash.) | Portland Thorns (Portland, Ore.) | Washington Spirit (Boyds, Md.) |
| De Anza Force (Saratoga, Calif.) | Tophat NTH (Atlanta, Ga.) |
Creating the Girl’s Development Academy allows U.S. Soccer to continue to develop world class players because it supports an improved player development model in which players can focus solely on training together four times per week and play meaningful games on the weekend nearly year-round.
U.S. Soccer believes the Development Academy provides both players and coaches with the challenges of playing in matches using international rules, an important experience if players dream of soccerat the highest levels.
Source: U.S. Soccer Press Information
