Participating U16 and U18 players of teams in the National Academy program are only allowed to play High School soccer. Paticipation in any other leagues, tournaments or ODP programs is prohibited. There can be no competition for a State Cup title by National Academy teams/clubs.
The cost to participate is estimated to be $3,600 per year. Teams will play roughly 36 games during the course of the twelve month period with 20 or so games being played within a clubs own respective region of competition. The point of the program appears to be an effort to standardize training and to elevate tactical skill across a larger group of players than currently participate in the Bradenton residency program.
Many of the top clubs in the Premier league appear to be waiting to see how the first year of the Academy goes. The fact that a club like CASL decided to join the Academy as one of the first 11 programs to be named makes it a program worthy of attention for the development of our players.
Last edited by Manchester; 08/16/07 10:58 PM.
