Can anyone shed any light on what has happened to the Development Academy in South Carolina? I was under the impression that the Charleston Battery had assumed governance of the organization. What gives? Are those DA players returning to high school soccer?
I read in the local paper about this, it is a field space issue, the Battery has decided to shut down for the rest of the year , It hopes to find a permanent home for the DA teams to practice and play games.
For the past few years they have moved around quite a bit. Not sure when they will resume operations.
I think this has been on the verge of happening for many years. I have seen the DA taking players on the team that in years past wouldn't have been even given a second look.
I agree that the travel is a major issue, but commitment from players who want to be the best will never be a problem.
My opinion is that these players in the DA are worn out with travel soccer, which they have been doing since 7 years old. They get to high school (juniors/seniors) and realize they are missing a lot of socializing with their friends by giving up weekends and such. When you also then took away their ability to play for their high school, it's seems like the DA felt that pain by losing talent.
So while this article states it is about fields being unavailable, I also think they are trying to figure out how to get back to drawing the best players and being more competitive against the other DA's. I wish them luck because I think the idea is great.
