• Quote Sheet on Development Academy
• Q & A with U.S. U-17 MNT head coach John Hackworth
• Academy Overview (.pdf - 1 page)
• Program Technical Specifications (.pdf - 1 page)
• Academy Presentation (.pdf - 24 pages)
• Academy Application (.pdf - 10 pages)
WASHINGTON, DC - D.C. United announced today the club will field two teams in the U.S. Soccer Federation's newly-designed Development Academy. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy will begin play this fall with up to 80 elite youth soccer clubs from around the country at the U-16 & U-18 level. United will field teams in both age groups. More information can be found at dcunited.com.
"This is a very special announcement," said United's Director of Youth Development John Maessner. "This will change the way this country develops soccer players and is a huge step forward for U.S. Soccer and D.C. United."
Created to provide players with the best possible opportunity to develop, the U.S. Soccer Development Academy is being initiated after a comprehensive review of player development systems in the United States and around the world.
"Players who are fortunate enough to be involved in this program will have every advantage to develop at the highest level," said Maessner. "D.C. United looks forward to being at the forefront of this historical youth development movement."
Each Development Academy club will not only serve as a home for many of the nation's top players, but also as a destination point within their community for shared learning and experience. One of the major advantages of the program will have players receiving integrated oversight from both youth club coaches and U.S. Soccer coaches, while training in their home environment. In turn, the Development Academy will provide an improved scouting environment for college, professional and U.S. National Team coaches.
To begin that process, U.S. Soccer is using the Development Academy to create a wide-reaching movement within the grassroots soccer environment that will educate parents, coaches and players on the value of expanding national player development directly to the clubs. Using the current U.S. Under-17 Residency Program as a model, the youth clubs chosen to be part of the Development Academy will increase the amount of time spent on meaningful training while also increasing the quality of their matches.
With an emphasis on creating a superior everyday training environment, teams in the Development Academy will have a clean slate for a calendar and will be required to train a minimum of three times a week, eliminating the growing trend of clubs playing an excessive quantity of games in lieu of consistent training patterns. To maintain an emphasis on training, Development Academy teams will compete against other teams in the program and will not play in any other leagues, tournaments or State Cup competitions, and players will only be allowed to compete on their designated Academy team (with a few exceptions for Nike Friendlies, high school soccer and national team duty, among others).
Clubs that are not part of U.S. Soccer's Development Academy will continue to play in traditional youth soccer competitions, with the longtime Olympic Development Program also continuing unimpeded. With Development Academy players no longer being seen at ODP events, those spots will now be open for additional players to be seen at an elite level.
The Development Academy will be divided into regions and will play home and away matches against other Academy teams across a complete season. Each Development Academy region will be comprised of up to 15-20 teams based on geographic proximity, with the winner of each region participating in the annual Academy Finals at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The Academy clubs will be comprised of Under-16 and Under-18 age groups, with a minimum of 22 players on a roster. Younger players in the Academy system will also be allowed to be play "up" within their club.
The Academy will also serve as a better coaching development platform, with each participating club receiving two invitations to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Best Practices seminars. The development platform for U.S. Soccer referees will also be enhanced in the program, with U.S. Soccer assigning referees to all Academy matches.
With the framework of the boys Development Academy serving as a starting point for discussion, a similar initiative to enhance the development of female players will also be explored.
U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY - STRUCTURE
Objective: The focus of the Academy is on player development and providing players with the best possible opportunity to develop to the highest level they are capable of achieving
Standards: A minimum requirement of three training sessions and one rest day per week
Teams: Up to 80 of the top youth soccer clubs in the U.S.
Selection: Clubs will be selected by U.S. Soccer coaches
Age Groups: U-16 & U-18 teams (minimum roster of 22 players); providing opportunities for more than 2,000 players
Competition Format: Divided into regions with each team playing between 30 and 38 home and away matches during an eight-month season. Each region will be comprised of approximately 15-20 teams based on geographic proximity. The winner of each region will play in the Academy Finals at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
