Youth Development Begins With Y
November 14, 2002
If there is one overriding need in North American soccer right now it’s the need for strong and consistent youth development. And MLS have acknowledge this and recently announced that all MLS teams would start developing youth systems. And 365’s Rob Wilson gives his take on how the system should be developed.
Youth Development beings with a ‘Y’ by Rob Wilson (first posted on soccer365.com)
If there is one overriding need in North American soccer right now it’s the need for strong and consistent youth development. Don Garber and Major League Soccer have acknowledge this and recently announced that all MLS teams would start developing youth systems. Although his announcement did not contain much detail, it is my hope that a system similar to that already seen in the United Soccer Leagues is adopted or somehow incorporates MLS sponsored youth development teams into the USL structure.
This should not be hard to do since DC United already supports several teams in the Super-Y league. The purpose of this league, for players U-8 to U-18, is to identify the elite players in the country and to give them strong and consistent coaching. The Super-Y league is a long-term effort to identify tomorrow’s talent.
This is more than putting a replica uniform on a child and calling their team Junior DC United. This is truly the first effort of “European” style player development. In this style, each child is trained by a different coach as they develop but in a consistent style and philosophy.
Where as DC United sponsors teams in the metro area, two other MLS clubs, the Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids, have formed reserve teams within the Premier Development League, or PDL. While not a professional league, it allows young high school and college age players to face stiff competition while still playing for their college and high school teams. It provides a year round opportunity for training.
Twenty-three different USL clubs sponsor Y-league teams, with the level of commitment varying with the club. Two teams go even further than that, the Richmond Kickers and Calgary Storm are committed to player development, incorporating it into their business plan.
Richmond supports clubs throughout all ages in the Super-Y, as well as youth clubs throughout the Richmond area. They also run the Richmond Kickers Future PDL team.
In theory, an eight-year-old player today could advance all the way up to the PDL team and then the “senior” team.
“We feel we have one of the most complete soccer clubs in the USA from youth development all the way to the A-league and beyond,” Tom Deperynski, president of the Kickers, told USLsoccer.com. “Our main emphasis is on player development.”
At the end of the 2002 season over 1000 players wore a Kickers uniform.
The player develop strategy seems to be working for Richmond as several former players now play in MLS, overseas and for the National teams of the US, Canada and Jamaica.
Like the Kickers the Calgary Storm are also interested in player development, but for other reasons. Club owner Mike Vandale has plans on moving one player to Europe every three years. Vandale is also a director for Exeter City, a third division club in England; so he has experience in player development and the European transfer market.
At the end of their first season, played in the PDL, the Storm where able to transfer four players to Europe; the most well known of which is Lars Hirchfeld who currently is with the Canadian National Team and Tottenham Hotspur of the English first division.
In 2002 the Storm joined the A – league and started a PDL club, the Calgary Storm Prospects. Thomas Wheeldon, who has scouted talent for West Ham United and Everton, coaches the Prospects and holds a UFEA “A” license. With credentials like that it seems likely that the Storm’s dream of sending players to Europe every few years is a reality.
Although the various clubs in the patchwork quilt that is US soccer seem to be taking different paths for youth development, the future looks brighter today than it did five or even ten years ago. As the sport grows here in the US, I feel that youth development will move more towards year round academies and European style reserve and youth squads, but the seeds have been planted, and the roots are strong. The future looks very bright.
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