Youth Soccer Clubs Announce New Development Player League (DPL) For Girls — Extending their DA’s Player Pool
UPDATED 4.8.17 @ 9:11AM PST
Designed to fit directly under U.S. Soccer’s new Development Academy for Girls, the Development Player League (DPL) will be the platform for the extended player pool of the DA teams. The goal is to enable a smooth transition for players to become DP’s with the DA and allow clubs to align the principles guiding the DA (US Soccer Federation) with this player pool inside each club.
Working together to increase player development environments in the Southwest — a known hot bed of youth soccer talent — 10 of the most successful Girls DA clubs have joined forces to create an incredible option for their players, the new Development Player League (DPL).
This new girls-only league will focus on creating a pathway for players to progress, develop and be identified by creating a seamless bridge to the DA.
Youth Soccer News: As the inaugural season of U.S. Soccer’s Girls’ Development Academy (DA) prepares to kick off, clubs from the DA Southwest Division have announced the formation of the Development Player League (DPL).
Working together to benefit player development in the Southwest — a known hot bed of youth soccer talent — ten highly successful youth soccer clubs in the Girls U.S. Soccer Development Academy will comprise of the DPL.
Albion SC, LA Galaxy, Legends FC, LA Galaxy SD, Eagles SC, LA Premier FC, SC Del Sol, Beach FC, Real So Cal and Pateadores have joined forces to help provide more player development opportunities for girls seeking to make the transition to U.S. Soccer’s Girls Development Academy.
Teams in the DPL will train with many of the same structures and principles as the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. The DPL will be the platform for the extended player pool for the participating clubs and will provide a pathway for players to make the leap to the DA level of play.
The DPL’s goal is to create a seamless bridge to the DA while providing additional options for development and identification.
Although mirroring the USSF DA in several ways, the players in the DPL will be able to play high school soccer. Teams will also be able to compete in US Youth Soccer’s National Championships on a local, regional and national level. In addition, these teams will participate in two major showcases for college exposure. The teams will participate in the November Silverlakes Showcase and March Las Vegas Showcase.
Selected youth players will be designated as Development Players for their club’s DA teams.
Each DA club will put in the following age groups 04, 03, 02, 01, 99/00.
Albion SC
“This league will provide a platform to prepare players to play up on DA level teams as well as gain great game day environments, play meaningful games, and allow the clubs to really focus on developing these players to their highest ability,” said Noah Gins, CEO/Executive Director Albion SC.
“The clubs participating in this league are committed to excellence, proper development and high level competition and I am very proud to have helped launch the DPL, giving opportunity for girls in all the organizations to further advance.”
Eagles SC
“The Development Player League is a fantastic compliment to the United States Soccer Development Academy,” said Steve Sampson, former USA National Team Coach and Eagles SC Technical Director. “We are so pleased to have our girls at the Eagles take advantage of this opportunity.”
Legends FC
“At Legends FC, we have been very attentive to our academy program as a whole. That incorporates the four U.S.Soccer Development Academy I teams, and the five DPL teams,” said Kevin Boyd, Academy Director at Legends FC.
“While the Academy I competitive game structure has been well known, the DPL has taken some work to accommodate the needs of the different clubs while offering a viable competitive environment. We feel this league fits the Legends Club perfectly. It offers the a competitive league environment while at the same time giving us the flexibility to let our teams compete in other events, such as National Cup. It is a tribute to all 10 directors that we were able to work together and create a league that fits all the different needs. We look forward to the DPL starting this fall!”
Beach FC
“This is an opportunity outside the DA for our ten clubs to work together creating quality competition and local showcase opportunities for our players. We don’t see this as an extension of anything, but rather as an opportunity for our second teams to have their own familiar pathway to reaching their club soccer goals,” says Mauricio Ingrassia, Technical Director of Beach Futbol Club. “Having ten DA clubs working together in the number one hotbed for youth soccer in the country is inspiring.”
LA Premier FC
“LA Premier FC is excited to come together with clubs in our conference to complete our Academy programming for the upcoming season,” said Barry Ritson, Executive Director of LAPFC. “Through conversations with our membership we quickly realized that there was a gap in our system with the implementation of the new U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy and after sharing those concerns with other DOC’s it became apparent that if we collaborate the gap can be closed.”
“This is a unique opportunity that we are thrilled to be able to offer to our players that wish to continue to play outside competition such as high school soccer and still be a part of our Academy structure.”
LA Galaxy
“This is a natural next step in our commitment to further enhance our player programming,” says Matt Tutton, LA Galaxy Technical Consultant.
“We always want to be on the forefront of development for our player pool and align ourselves with other people and clubs who believe in the same philosophies. With this league, I believe we are initiating a new a trend that could go nationwide and inspire other areas of the country to follow suit.”
LA Galaxy SD
“I am really excited for the upcoming league,” said Michael Duggan, Academy Director of LA Galaxy SD. “It’s a great player pathway for the girls who have aspirations of playing in the development academy. The DPL program will follow the same curriculum and guidelines as the full academy program yet, it will also allow players the freedom to play high school as well as State Cup — while still receiving the same, high level training environment as the full DA. With the other 9 top youth soccer clubs involved, the future looks bright for these players.”
“The DPL players will have the opportunity to develop at their own pace while still competing with and against top competition in Southern California as well as around the nation,” said Courtney Drummond, Assistant Academy Director. “Strategically this extends the player pool and makes team rosters more manageable as Developmental Players will be pulled from the DPL. Instead of carrying heavy rosters, where players aren’t getting proper playing time to develop, they can now be placed in the DPL program in an environment that will allow this growth.”
SC Del Sol
” SCdelSol is delighted and honored to be one of the founding members of the Player Development Program. We believe that the quality competition this league provides our players is a perfect compliment to the Girls Development Academy, ” said Les Armstrong, Girls Academy Director of SCdelSol.
Pateadores
“This is a great opportunity for all of our clubs. We can now extend the advantages of the Developmental Academy to even more of our members. We are thankful to the federation for supporting us in this venture,” says Jon Szczuka, Club Director of Pateadores.
Real So Cal
For more information visit www.dpleague.org or email info@dpleague.org
Editor’s Note on Saturday Morning: This article was updated to clarify any confusion between the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and the new Girls DPL League.
While the youth soccer clubs may consider their teams playing in the DPL as the second team to the U.S. Soccer DA teams, any references to Academy II have been removed and the term DPL substituted to simplify and clarify the goals of all organizations involved.
Here is the following statement from the DPL website, which was also updated recently:
