# DA Future plans



## sbay (Aug 16, 2016)

I am just curious if anyone has heard their club's plans for NEW DA teams that only have status for one team.  For example, Club A applied and got DA status for 16-17 year for 2004's, but this is their only team.  As 2004's matriculate the following year has anyone heard what will happen next to that group of boys and the DA status of that team?  Will these new clubs just keep adding teams as groups matriculate?


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## La Pulga (Aug 16, 2016)

I think those teams will be evaluated during the season. The ideas is to add more at younger ages. Focus on the product rather than the results.


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## SoccerDad77 (Aug 17, 2016)

sbay said:


> I am just curious if anyone has heard their club's plans for NEW DA teams that only have status for one team.  For example, Club A applied and got DA status for 16-17 year for 2004's, but this is their only team.  As 2004's matriculate the following year has anyone heard what will happen next to that group of boys and the DA status of that team?  Will these new clubs just keep adding teams as groups matriculate?


Short answer... The best players move to other clubs with full academy status.


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## xav10 (Aug 17, 2016)

Probably safe to assume that this massive group of 04 teams will be winnowed down to far fewer clubs with DA status as these 04's get older.


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## Box2Box (Aug 17, 2016)

sbay said:


> I am just curious if anyone has heard their club's plans for NEW DA teams that only have status for one team.  For example, Club A applied and got DA status for 16-17 year for 2004's, but this is their only team.  As 2004's matriculate the following year has anyone heard what will happen next to that group of boys and the DA status of that team?  Will these new clubs just keep adding teams as groups matriculate?


The only da teams assured to keep their status are the mls affiliated ones. The rest will be evaluated annually.


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## Box2Box (Aug 17, 2016)

Box2Box said:


> The only da teams assured to keep their status are the mls affiliated ones. The rest will be evaluated annually.


But not to worry , every club will be awarded a boys encl.


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## younothat (Aug 17, 2016)

No additional expansion plans have been announced.  "For clubs interested in applying for the 2017-18 season, applications will be available in the fall of 2016 on our website". http://www.ussoccerda.com/overview-join-academy-club.


As you see 2017-18 will go to single age  groups for everyone.

For 16-17 there are 3 types of DA clubs

1) U12 (04) only ...such as Los Angeles Football Club U-12,
2) Dev only U12 (04), U13 (03), U14 (02)...such as Albion SC U-13, Santa Barbara Soccer Club U-14
3) Full DA; U12 (04), U13 (03), U14 (02), U15/16, U17/18...such as Arsenal FC U-15/16, Strikers FC U-17/18

For 17-18 one of the questions is what years will make up the above (3)  categories?
Will the start age of DA be U12 (06's) or will that be U13 (05's) since the age matrix moves up a year

2017-2018
U12 = 2006
U13 - 2005
U14 - 2004
U15 - 2003
U16 - 2002
U17 - 2001
U18 - 2000

For the clubs with only one team (U12) this year 2016-17 my hunch is they will either have one team (06) in 2017-18 or just two teams (06,05) in also since expansion was just done but they could change.  Those one AG clubs could get  the full dev package teams at some point but maybe not next year.

For the clubs with the (3) dev teams in 2016-17 this is where this get interesting.  Some will get all the age groups, but I have a tip that they are going to expand the dev group to four age groups. So those clubs will have (4) dev teams:  06,05,04,03 in the 2017-18 season.

USSF states they perform regular evals of the academy clubs but they are slow coming out or miss some apparently


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## sbay (Aug 17, 2016)

Thanks for all the insight.  Any thoughts about an MLS only league, then DA non mls separate?  I heard that possibility as well...


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## xav10 (Aug 17, 2016)

younothat said:


> No additional expansion plans have been announced.  "For clubs interested in applying for the 2017-18 season, applications will be available in the fall of 2016 on our website". http://www.ussoccerda.com/overview-join-academy-club.
> 
> View attachment 66
> As you see 2017-18 will go to single age  groups for everyone.
> ...


I believe we will see next year's "U12's" on the same basis as this year's, i.e. 06's sprinkled with '07s. The 05's will, of course, be U13 and the 04's will be U14. The 06/07 U12 group will probably have two teams, just like this year.


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## mahrez (Aug 17, 2016)

sbay said:


> Thanks for all the insight.  Any thoughts about an MLS only league, then DA non mls separate?  I heard that possibility as well...


Doubt you will see MLS only league.

FYI a academy team cost 2x or more compared to a normal club team. Coaches gets paid more , more expensive fields used more often, more games, longer season, etc.   Around 100k per team x 7 teams plus other expenses like travel and your Talkin about close to a million dollars a year.  Not many MLS clubs can afford that kind of money for a youth academy.

The Galaxy has only 5 youth academy teams and they got rid of their youth  II or reserve teams last year, so if they can't or don't want to afford that I doubt others can.


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## SoccerDad77 (Aug 17, 2016)

mahrez said:


> Doubt you will see MLS only league.
> 
> FYI a academy team cost 2x or more compared to a normal club team. Coaches gets paid more , more expensive fields used more often, more games, longer season, etc.   Around 100k per team x 7 teams plus other expenses like travel and your Talkin about close to a million dollars a year.  Not many MLS clubs can afford that kind of money for a youth academy.
> 
> The Galaxy has only 5 youth academy teams and they got rid of their youth  II or reserve teams last year, so if they can't or don't want to afford that I doubt others can.


Not all MLS academies are funded... Real salt lake charges fees, as does DC United.. I know there is one more i was told also but I can't remember who


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## mahrez (Aug 17, 2016)

SoccerDad77 said:


> Not all MLS academies are funded... Real salt lake charges fees, as does DC United.. I know there is one more i was told also but I can't remember who


Yeah and thats a problem, fewer players have that means to participate.  

There just is not enough mls teams to make a local youth academy league feasible.  Not many 11-14 yr old can afford weekly travel to Salt Lake or Wash DC.

Perhaps a u17/18 or college alternative mls league could work?


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## SoccerDad77 (Aug 17, 2016)

mahrez said:


> Yeah and thats a problem, fewer players have that means to participate.
> 
> There just is not enough mls teams to make a local youth academy league feasible.  Not many 11-14 yr old can afford weekly travel to Salt Lake or Wash DC.
> 
> Perhaps a u17/18 or college alternative mls league could work?


That's good in theory too... But could you really find that many high level players willing to forego college eligibility to chase the dream? How high could those players salary possible be?... If it's like generation adidas and they are guaranteed a paid education when their career ends, then yes it's worth the risk ... Otherwise, a college degree is still king in this country


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