The Development Academy, especially on the girls side, is focused on the entire program, not just 1 or 2 teams. While the Rebels have certainly done very well and are a good program, individual team success is only a minor consideration. The DA wants clubs that are financially capable of taking on the burden of the DA and can support a path towards fully funded "residential" programs. To this end, it is a mistake to put much weight on a "team's" success as a major factor in a club being awarded the girls DA program. The DA doesn't care about teams, it cares about player development. A team that has won national cup is OK, but a program that has sent 5 girls to the youth National team is great.
The application is online and you can read the FAQ, here are the basics:
Application Process:
The Development Academy Membership Application is broken into seven sections:
- Section I: Application Procedure
- Section II: Club Information
- Section III: Resources
- Section IV: Facilities
- Section V: Staffing and Leadership
- Section VI: Player Development History
- Section VII: Academy Requirements
In order to complete the online application, clubs must send all supporting documents, including the following:
- Club Philosophy (mission, vision, identity, style, etc.)
- Annual Training Plan (this includes a detailed plan for activity, training and games)
- Club Budget for the Academy programs (this includes all revenue and expenses to operate Academy age groups)
- Additional Player Production (YNT/MNT/WNT players, foreign and/or domestic professional players) *if applicable
- Additional Staff Listing *if applicable
The DA model is one of a pyramid. Lots of U12 to few U18/19. On the boys side, you can get in with a U12 to U14 team with fewer resources, less facilities, etc. On the girls side, the DA wants to award fully programs U12-U18/U19, and is as much concerned about resources, facilities, staffing/leadership, etc. The DOC should have an A License and the staff should have C licenses.
The public record demonstrates the Rebels have a few challenges, which are not insurmountable, but challenges nonetheless. Here is what I can tell you:
Financial Resources (
2016 990 XML): Rebels had Revenues of $927,856 and expenses of $917,199. Total assets at EOY were $
215,357. At an average cost of about $4,000 per player (4k x 25 Players x 4 Teams) to train DA players, travel, fields, referees, etc., the Rebels would have incurred another $400k in expenses (which is about double its cash reserves). Compare that to Albion SC (
2016 990 XML) - Revenues of $2,287,632, Expenses of $2,243,740, with assets of $
661,335 or San Diego Surf (
2015 990) - Revenues of
$3,327,957, Expenses of $3,419,295 and assets of $
858,180. In sum, the Rebels are a much riskier club from a pure financial perspective. The DA wants financially healthy clubs that can take on the burden of the DA, the Rebels would have challenges subsidizing the DA given its current size.
Facilities: All I can tell you is the current fields for the Rebels (a few parks and a college) are not impressive.
Coaching licenses: I have no idea what the license level of the coaches are because Rebels does not publish this information. This is often a major factor as to why programs are not accepted.
