Can't believe no one is talking about this anywhere, but figured it warrant a topic. http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/20...ded-academy-program-include-u-10-through-u-18 Chicago has extended their fully funded academy down to the U10 level. This makes them the first MLS academy to fully fund the U10-U18 academy teams. "The Fire player development program has grown from 400 youths to over 10,000 across seven states, and will expand the Chicago Fire Academy program to new age groups with Academy teams now being operated at U10, U11, U12, U13, U14 & U15 in addition to the U16 and U18 age groups that participate in the USSF Development Academy. All players selected for this program will be eligible for inclusion on the club’s Homegrown Player List."
How much did this cost before? I've heard some top youth clubs cost around $2-4k/year. This is really a great move by AW and the Fire cause it will allow more kids in whose family may not have been able to afford it before.
Surprised there are not more posts on this topic. To quote Joe Biden, "This is a big ****ing deal", not only for the potential impact this has on the level of talent that makes it to the senior roster, but on the fan base for the club. Just think about these numbers for a second: The Fire player development program has grown from 400 youths to over 10,000 across seven states, and will expand the Chicago Fire Academy program to new age groups with Academy teams now being operated at U10, U11, U12, U13, U14 & U15 in addition to the U16 and U18 age groups that participate in the USSF Development Academy. All players selected for this program will be eligible for inclusion on the club’s Homegrown Player List. The prospect of exponential growth in pre-teens and their families having a vested interest in the club is huge in my book.