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Youth & High School
Local Club Rounds Out Academy
South Central Premier among 13 final clubs
August 7, 2007
CHICAGO – South Central Premier (Connecticut) was among the final 13 clubs selected to join the new U.S. Soccer Development Academy, bringing the total number of clubs to 64, including four from New England.
South Central is joined by Oakwood SC (Connecticut), the FC Greater Boston Bolts (Massachusetts) and Seacoast United (New Hampshire) on the 64-club, eight conference league.
The Development Academy is a United States Soccer Federation project created this summer designed "to shift the focus of the young elite player from an overburdened, game emphasis model to a meaningful training and competition model."
It involves the training of players, coaches and referees, scouting by U.S. National Team and college coaches, and the sharing of the latest information and concepts on performance training and expertise development.
More than 150 clubs applied for the academy, which will feature 63 clubs representing 24 states and the District of Columbia plus the U.S. National Team from U.S. Soccer's Residency Program, playing at the Under-15/16 and Under-17/18 age levels.
The 64 teams will be divided into eight conferences, each comprised of eight teams based largely on geographic proximity. Each team will play approximately 30 matches during an eight-month season, with the winner of each conference playing in the Academy Finals at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
“The clubs participating in the inaugural Academy season represent a shared vision of player development and the desire to change the current landscape,” said U.S. Soccer's Director of Coaching Education Bob Jenkins. “These clubs were selected because of their ability to implement the best development environment for our elite youth players.”
The Development Academy kicks off in September with a two-day orientation in Chicago. The first matches of the inaugural season will then begin during the first week of October.
Each club will receive two invitations to attend the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Best Practices seminars and U.S. Soccer will assign referees to the Academy matches.
The final 13 clubs joining the Development Academy:
Albertson Soccer Club (New York)
Baltimore Bays Soccer Club (Maryland)
Bridge Futbol Alliance (South Carolina)
Cleveland Alliance Soccer Academy (Ohio)
Concorde Fire Soccer Club (Georgia)
Crew Soccer Academy (Ohio)
Match Fit Academy FC (New Jersey)
Pateadores Soccer Club (California)
Real So Cal (California)
San Diego Surf (California)
Solar Soccer Club (Texas)
South Central Premier (Connecticut)
South Charlotte Soccer Association (North Carolina)
The Entire Academy sorted by conference:
Northeast Conference
• Albertson SC
• B/W Gottschee
• FC Greater Boston Bolts
• FC Westchester
• Met Oval
• Oakwood SC
• Seacoast United
• South Central Premier
Mid-Atlantic Conference
• Baltimore Bays Soccer Club
• DC United
• FC DELCO
• Match Fit Academy FC
• New York Red Bulls
• PA Classics
• PDA
• Potomac Soccer
Atlantic Conference
• Bridge FA
• CASL
• Greensboro Youth SC
• North Meck SC
• Richmond Kickers SC
• Richmond Strikers
• South Charlotte SA
• VA Rush SC
Southeast Conference
• AFC Lightning Soccer Club
• Atlanta Fire United SA
• Birmingham United SA
• Clearwater Chargers SC
• Concorde Fire SC
• IMG SA
• Kendall Soccer Coalition
• Schulz Academy
Great Lakes Conference
• Carmel United Soccer Club
• CASA
• Columbus Crew
• Empire United SA
• Internationals SC
• Michigan Wolves
• Ohio Elite SA
• Vardar
Mid-America Conference
• Chicago Fire Soccer PDA
• Chicago Magic Soccer Club
• FC Milwaukee
• Metro United Soccer Club
• Scott Gallagher
• Sockers FC Chicago
• Solar SC
• U.S. National Team (U-15/16 & U-17)
SoCal Conference
• Arsenal SC
• Chivas USA
• Irvine Strikers
• L.A. Galaxy
• Nomads SC
• Pateadores SC
• Real So Cal
• San Diego Surf
West Conference
• Colorado Rapids
• Colorado Rush
• Crossfire Premier SC
• De Anza Force SC
• FC Portland SA
• Mustang FC
• Real Colorado
• Washington Premier FC
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