NYCFC’s Girls Academy begins Development Academy play this weekend.
As announced in February, NYCFC’s Girls Academy launches across four age-groups (U14, U15, U16/U17 & U18/19), offering the highest level of technical standards and competition for New York’s brightest young talent.
Each of the club’s four teams start their 2017/18 campaigns on the road to Empire United at the Empire United Soccer Complex on Saturday September 2, with games taking place throughout the day, between 10am and 7pm.
This weekend marks the inaugural season for the U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy with more than 6,000 players from 69 member clubs taking to the field across the country.
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Sporting Director Claudio Reyna, said: “The Girls Academy comes into the Development Academy at the four age-groups and we’re really excited about that.
“We’ve been putting everything together for the first time and we’re really committed to the Girls Academy – they’re going to be based out of World Class FC which is across the street from our future training facility in Orangeburg, so there will be a lot of interaction.
“We’re optimistic, with the talent in the NY region, that we will have players representing the U.S at youth national team level. It’s an exciting year for the academy both on the girls and boy’s sides.”
The Girls' Academy is the highest level of girls' youth soccer in the U.S., and this start represents the implementation of the Academy's philosophy and standards for the most committed youth clubs across the country.
It also provides a clear pathway to National Team programs. More than 92 percent of players selected to Youth National Teams in the 2016-17 cycle came from Academy clubs, and 65 players from the most recent Women's and Girls' YNT rosters will feature in the Academy this season.
"The U.S. Soccer Girls' Development Academy program will raise the standards and assure that the pathway for the most talented and dedicated female players exists, and that we will be able to continue to compete with the elite players and teams in the world," Girls' Academy Director Miriam Hickey said.
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NYCFC will play consistently during a 10-month season from September to July, featuring Winter, Spring and Summer Showcases and culminating in the Academy Championships.
The inaugural 69 clubs were chosen based on a variety of factors, including club leadership, infrastructure, resources, history of player production for National Teams, market and depth of the player pool and more.
Stay tuned for more updates from the NYCFC Girls Academy throughout the year ahead and to learn more, visit NYCFC.com/NYCFC-Girls-Academy
