cut and paste from BigSoccer.com
respecthegame
BigSoccer Member
Join Date: May 2010
Club: Everton FC
No High School Soccer in 2012?
I am told this letter went to Matchfit Chelsea parents (a USSDA team in New Jersey). Looks like this will mean academy kids cant play high school next year...
Dear Match Fit 1997-1993 Players/Parents,
We are writing this letter regarding the participation in high school soccer and United States Soccer Federation Development Academy (USSF DA) teams. As some of you are aware there has been discussions regarding the USSF DA season going from a five month to ten month season. Furthermore there have been questions regarding how this will affect a player’s ability to participate in high school soccer.
Following a conference call with all USSF DA clubs and US Soccer representatives the following has been put in place by the federation:
- The USSF DA U16 and U18 season will begin in September and end at the beginning of July, following the play offs.
- No player will be permitted to play in both high school and USSF DA play at the same time.
- Players receiving aid towards their schooling will be able to be added on a waiver at the end of the high school season (Nov 1st). There will be a limit to the amount of players being able to be added at the end of the high school season and will be at the discretion of the club. No player without a waiver can be added to a roster following Sep 1st.
A supporting letter from Claudio Reyna and the USSF DA is attached with this letter. As a USSF DA club we support the initiatives of the federation in attempting to create an environment where the top percentile of players in the area are treated as professionals and thus given a greater chance to break into US Soccer’s youth teams. The current climate is that the players play too many games.
We do recognize however that high school sports are an important part of the players social growth and therefore we are cognizant of the fact this is a cultural change for all involved. As a club we are here to help in any situation we can but the rules are stringent and will not be broken in any way by us. The fact remains that those players participating in the USSF DA program are recognized as the top percentile of players and at any time can be identified by US Soccer to graduate into their teams. In addition the USSF DA program is still the primary outlet for collegiate coaches to recruit and scout players and thus the value of being involved is twofold. We put value in our current group of players at the 1997-1993 age group and hope that all look to continue in the club moving forward.
