Even before the Vancouver Whitecaps joined MLS this season, their youth development movement was already well underway.
But last week their four-year-old residency program received another boost, as US Soccer announced the Whitecaps would join the USSF Development Academy League at both the U-16 and U-18 age groups beginning this fall.
“We are very excited to be part of the Development Academy and thank US Soccer for the opportunity,” Whitecaps FC director of soccer development Dan Lenarduzzi said in a press release. “We have had tremendous success with the Residency program over the past several years and this expansion of our club system represents a further substantial investment.”
A planned expansion is the driving force behind this change. Currently at 25 players, plans are now in place to take that level to 80 or 90 athletes, encompassing the U-14, U-16, and U-18 age levels. Players can also enter as early as 12 years old, and be developed in the program with costs handled by the club.
Helping to guide the Whitecaps youth movement is Richard Grootscholten, who was named the technical director and head coach of the Residency Program last November. Grootscholten will work alongside other Residency coaches Craig Dalrymple, Steve Meadley and Martin Nash, as well as the rest of the technical staff to continue improving youth development in Vancouver.
A Dutch youth coach who took the job with the Whitecaps after serving as technical director of Sparta Rotterdam in his native Netherlands, Grootscholten was ecstatic about last week’s news.
“We are absolutely excited and happy about stepping into the Academy league; it’s fantastic,” he told MLSsoccer.com over the phone.
In the new USSF Dev. Academy setup, the Whitecaps will join the Northwest Division of the West Conference, alongside the Seattle and San Jose Academy teams, and other top youth clubs like Crossfire Premier, Santa Cruz Breakers and Cal Odyssey. There will still be some decent travel involved to reach the different teams, but it’s a more viable alternative for player development.
The planned expansion is set to continue over the course of 2011, and players from British Columbia and all over Canada will be brought in to train. Grootscholten said that a special program is going to be put in place that allows players not only proper training time, but also to continue their education.
From there, it’s all about molding potential professionals.
“What we’ll do is try to develop all the parts of being a professional soccer player," Grootscholten said.
