NWSL Academies

Boston Breakers - One of the biggest programs in Boston Area
WNY Flash - In its' 4th year of existence

Unsure of any others

 

Orlando had an academy (girls) in place before even deciding to join the NWSL.

http://www.orlandocitysc.com/youth/academy

 

Portland.

 

Last year FCKC shared coaching and resources with four youth teams who did sweep the state championships. Some were referring to that as an academy (even FCKC did on their website), but an academy system seems to be officially launching this year:
FCKC merge with youth clubs sharing resources and coaching
Official launch of academy in 2016-2017 on FCKC website

 

The Red Stars themselves don't directly have an Academy, but they do have both a reserve team and a very intimate connection with the Chicago Eclipse Select Soccer Club, considering Dames is still President (and I think coach on a few teams?)

 

http://chicagoredstars.com/academy/

 

....looks like an "academy program" in name only, since it seems to just be summer camps instead of competitive youth teams.

 

From the "Plush's State of the League" Equalizer summary:

 

We might be one step closer to a HGP rule in NWSL:

http://equalizersoccer.com/2016/02/23/u-s-soccer-to-launch-girls-development-academy/

 

Sounds like a good step to really grow the league.

 

It's interesting b/c Plush's "state of the league" speech/interview at the NSCAA convention mentioned that a HGP rule wasn't being discussed. Now, with this DA on the way for 2017, I'm thinking that NWSL organizers will try to have a HGP rule set in time for 2018 so they're ready for the "first class" of DA graduates.

 

I was trying to figure out what DA meant and widely expanded my acronym dictionary:

DA Double Action
DA Data Analysis
DA District Attorney
DA Database Administration
DA Development Assistance
DA Directory Assistance
DA Data Acquisition
DA Decision Analysis
DA Damage Assessment
DA Don't Answer
DA Distribution Automation
DA Daily Allowance
DA Delayed Action
DA Data Administrator
DA Directed Action
DA Development Agent
DA Days After Acceptance
DA Directorate of Administration
DA Discontinued Availability
DA Defective Article
DA Departure Approved
DA Domination Area
DA Directive Authorization
DA Discretionary Absence
DA Documents For/Against Acceptance
DA Diesel Air Starting and Shutdown
DA Development Activity/Assist
DA Developing Activity
DA Developing Agency
DA Developmental Authority
DA Design Activity
DA Design Agent
DA Design Area
DA Design Authority
DA Depot Availability
DA Designated Acquisition Program
DA Designated Agent
DA Desk Attendant
DA Desktop Administration
DA Destination Address
DA destructive analysis
DA Devil's Advocate
DA Digital Alliance
DA Direct Access
DA Direct Action
DA Department of Audit
DA Department of the Army
DA Denver Academy
DA Demand Assignment
DA Delegated Authority
DA Domain Administrator
DA Domestic Abuse

 

All that, and they are missing Development Academy.

 

Considering the amount of effort to stop children from participating in a high school activity with their friends...Im thinking Dumb Ass

 

This looks like a great move by US Soccer at first glance. However, I wonder how this will affect the college game (see red font below)? Will it become easier or common for really good players to skip college and go pro?

http://www.ussoccerda.com/USSoccer-to-Launch-Girls-Development-Academy-Fall-2017

U.S. Soccer Development Academy (or DA for short, according to SiberianThunderT)

CHICAGO (Feb. 23, 2016) - In an effort to accelerate the development of world-class female players, U.S. Soccer is launching a Girls' Development Academy Program in the fall of 2017. The Academy will focus on positively impacting the everyday club environments to assist in maximizing female youth player development across the country.

U.S. Soccer started its Development Academy Program for boys in 2007 and the program, which currently consists of 152 clubs across five age groups, serves as the elite player development model for the country and has significantly improved the everyday environment for players, coaches and clubs. The Girls' DA will be structured with many of the same principles and will begin play in the fall of 2017. The application process for clubs interested in being part of the new program will open in May of 2016.

The institution of a Development Academy for girls is part of U.S. Soccer's global leadership position in women's soccer and will impact thousands of players. U.S. Soccer is also excited to launch this program working alongside the NWSL and its efforts to support player development and the long-term growth of professional soccer.

"In support of U.S. Soccer's long-term plan for player and coach development, launching a Girls' Development Academy is part of an unprecedented commitment to elevating the women's game," said U.S. Soccer Women's Technical Director April Heinrichs. "This program will directly impact the everyday environment for clubs and further connect players and coaches to our National Teams. From a program perspective, we will educate both players and coaches on position-specific roles, physical and psychosocial planning and preparation, current coaching methodologies and the use of sport science and technology."

The guidelines for members will feature increased training requirements with fewer, but higher quality games. U.S. Soccer's technical standards have been designed to benefit players and coaches, and allows clubs to work directly and collaboratively with U.S. Soccer technical staff and Youth National Teams. The overall focus of the program is to assist in developing world class players, coaches and referees by prioritizing training and player development within the team concept.

From the start, the program will feature three combined age groups in the Girls' Development Academy: U-14/15, U-16/17 and U-18/19. Clubs will be expected to train a minimum of four times a week. The players in the Girls' Development Academy clubs will play exclusively within the Academy program and will not play in any outside competition, such as ODP [Olympic Development Program] or high school. The use of combined age groups will require clubs to form teams with a balanced roster of players from two distinct birth years. The games will be scouted by U.S. Soccer and the program will serve as a pathway to U.S. Soccer's Youth National Teams.

In addition to combining the most elite players from each birth year to form the mixed age group player pool, coaches will be encouraged to play their most elite players "up" on an older age team within the club to help accelerate development.

The competitive framework will focus on the core values of the program, which emphasizes quality coaching and teaching in a positive learning environment for players with zero tolerance for poor behavior from coaches. [Wow! Talk about putting the coaches on a short leash.]

Competitively, the program competition will feature local and regional matches as well as regional and national events with playing rules based on international standards [I absolutely love this part. I think the NCAA is doing damage to the USA's ability to produce more and better players at the international level (in various sports) by not using int'l standards], e.g., no re-entry, limited substitutions and proper rest and recovery periods. The season will be structured over a 10-month period, likely from September through July, and as in the Boys' Development Academy, the clubs will be organized by divisions and conferences with national and/or regional events incorporated into the overall program.

Club applications will be evaluated by U.S. Soccer technical staff based on the following criteria:

Leadership of the club and quality of the coaching staff

• Desire to embrace and promote the core values of the program
• U.S. Soccer license levels of coaching staff
• Infrastructure of the club and the resources currently being invested in development (facilities, scholarships, staff to player ratio, etc.)
• History of player production for Youth National Teams, the senior Women's National Teams, and professional leagues
• Market and depth of the player pool, geographic location and travel implications, and proximity to other elite clubs

More information will be available in the coming months. General questions can be directed to girlsacademy@ussoccer.org and responses will be sent as more information becomes available.

 

So if HS soccer is forbidden why shouldnt college soccer be as well?

 

I had to think about the length of the program's description because my math kept adding up to eleven months, but then I realized that they could end halfway through July and begin halfway into September, making the program 10 months in duration.

 

The age groups are all high school age kids. Perhaps they'll add other age groups later. However, because this is a fast-track program, which hones player skills and experience, I imagine these kids will be more marketable to clubs world-wide. I can see more instances where high schoolers take the Horan route and go for the pro contract out of high school vs going to college. Based on the article, it seems going to college will almost be taking a step back for some of these kids (at least the ones who don't make the National team and have to play in the NWSL). In any case, I think it's a great move for the National teams.

 

I really don't like cutting out high school sports. High school sports is integral to a teenager's social life. Haven't we done enough to destroy kids lives without cocooning them in a high pressure environment and taking away even more of allowing them to learn about life by socializing with others of differing experience and skill levels? Way too much specialization in kids lives these days. Let them be kids at least a small part of the time.

 

I might feel the same way about elite girls' gymnastics detracting from their middle schools

Redeeming features of GDA:
1. It's voluntary
2. It affects a small(?) subset of soccer talent
3. Humans have survived similar trials for thousands of years

In a different realm of endeavor, every year our local WA-ID Symphony holds one joint concert with the Young Artists, who are the high school-aged kids who won last year's annual competition (which implies that dozens of such competitions run annually, one per instrument). So you hear a 13-year-old girl play Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, a 17-year-old cellist play Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, etc. I guess the thousands of hours of training and practice they've endured since age 6 or so to get that good means they just skip their high school band, as if they're on different planets.

Maybe a tiny number of kids actually enjoy being a specialist, and thrive under the pressure. Like that Far Side cartoon of the mutts looking mournfully in through the window as the soloist dog plays his violin, and wags

Then they wander through practice and nutmeg everybody

 

Is ODP being disbanded? What reason would there be for its ongoing existence? There must be (adult) heads exploding all over the youth soccer cash grab, oops I meant landscape.