The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league featured youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission was to provide education, resources, and support to impact everyday club environments in order to develop world-class players.
As of the 2016–17 season, the Academy had 149 total clubs, in five age groups: U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15/16, and U-17/18. The Academy was in the process of expanding their programming to include a Girls' Development Academy that consisted of 74 clubs and began in the fall of 2017.
On March 15, 2020, U.S. Soccer made the determination to end the operation of the Development Academy due to the financial situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Joining an Academy club
For players to join the Academy, they must first join one of the member clubs. The Academy suggests any interested player should contact the club directly for specific information about joining the club. Clubs can be found based on age group within the three regional conferences.
Clubs must apply directly to the Academy through the website.[2] Applications for the boys' clubs are available in early fall on the Development Academy website. Accepted clubs join the Academy in the following fall season.
History
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy was founded in 2007, after a comprehensive review of elite player development conducted by the USSF, to serve as the top tier for youth soccer in the United States and provide an elite everyday environment for player development. The organization was created as a partnership between U.S. Soccer and top level clubs across the country, emphasizing increased training with more competitive games versus more games in general, with the ultimate goal of producing world-class players.
The league serves to connect national team coaches at all age levels directly with elite youth players, while also serving as a venue for advanced coaching and referee development.[3]
The league is unique among other professional soccer leagues domestically, as it runs on a winter-based schedule. The season generally begins in September and ends in June or July. There is usually a hiatus in January and February, and players have the summer off. Most of the clubs are associated with professional teams, either in North America through MLS, the NASL or the USL, or with European clubs. The professional teams cover most, if not all of the fees, while the academies offer a pipeline of talent to the professional club.
The DA celebrated its 10th season, and recently unveiled a new logo. The logo features an inextricable link to the U.S. Soccer crest, and features the letters "DA", for Development Academy. The forward and upward motion of the logo's shape signifies the strategic growth and direction of the program. The four stripes represent the four pillars of the Development Academy: excellence, pride, tradition, and education.
U.S. Soccer's new Player Development Initiatives (PDIs) are geared towards giving players the right tools to succeed and develop to the best of their abilities in age appropriate environments. More information about best practices, the Birth Year Mandate, and further resources can be found on the U.S. Soccer Player Development Initiatives homepage.[6]
Coaching education
The Academy also offers U.S. Soccer coaching education resources and licenses through the Digital Coaching Center.
U-12 program
The Development Academy expanded to include the U-12 age group in the fall of 2016. The U-12 Academy program improves the training environment for players at younger ages by providing more and higher quality training, more meaningful yet fewer total games, and age-appropriate learning environments.
The U-12 program was stopped at the end of the season 2018-2019
U-13 and U-14 single age group
The Development Academy split the U-13/14 age group into single age groups to create foundation of the pathway at U-13 and U-14, to focus on individual player development. This will provide the base for a long-term streamlined pathway with flexibility to move players between rosters within the club, a better transition period for players from 9v9 to 11v11, and include late developers.
The U-13 Academy Program follows the same schedule as the current U-13/14 program, consisting of divisional play, futsal training, and a regional showcase event.
Girls' Development Academy
The Development Academy is pleased to announce that 74 clubs will join the Girls' Development Academy in the inaugural season of fall 2017. The Girls' Development Academy is part of U.S. Soccer's global leadership position in women's soccer and connects with its long-term plan to improve player and coach development. Initially the program will include three age groups, U-14/15, U-16/17 and U-18/19. The mission of the program is to provide education, resources and support to directly impact the everyday environment for clubs to develop world-class female players.[7]
Closure
On April 15, 2020, U.S. Soccer made the determination to end the operation of the Development Academy due to the financial situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The boys clubs transition to MLS Next, and girls clubs transitioned to Girls Academy (GA) or Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).[8][9]
Academy structure
The schedule of the Development Academy consists of a ten-month season which begins in September and finishes with championships in July. Clubs take a break in league play during the winter due to weather conditions, but most continue to train. During the season each academy team expects to play between 25 and 30 games. These games are typically within the clubs' respective divisions, with the exception of showcase and playoff games. The U-15/16 and U-17/18 teams participate in Summer and Winter Showcases. The Summer Showcase also acts as the group stage of Academy Playoffs. The teams that advance from the Academy playoffs can expect to play up to an additional three games.
The Development Academy designs the structure of the schedule for all clubs, and it is the clubs' responsibility to organize a time and location for each game.
Each age group has its own distinctive structure. The U-12 program has players practice more often, but play in fewer games. The U-13 and U-14 program attend showcases throughout the year and play in games. These showcases include the Fall Regional Showcase, Winter Futsal Showcase, and Summer National Showcase. The U-12 program, U-13 and U-14 programs do not participate in the playoffs.
The U-15/16 and U-17/18 age groups compete in two national showcases and regular season games. As mentioned above, the Summer and Winter Showcases are the premier events for these age groups. Additionally, 32 teams qualify for the playoffs and the top 8 go on to compete in the academy championships.
Age groups
The Academy had 149 total clubs, in five age groups: U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15/16, and U-17/18. These 149 clubs were all located within seventeen geographically-based divisions at the U-12 age group, ten geographically-based divisions at the U-13 and U-14 age group, and seven geographically-based divisions at both the U-15/16 and U-17/18 levels.
The U-12 league was divided into seventeen divisions across three conferences:
