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What is the Elite Academy League?

Composed primarily by member clubs in the new MLS NEXT Platform, The Elite Academy League was created to extend best practices and standards to the entirety of a club’s player pool. This unique ability to work together within both platforms empowers clubs to maintain the highest standards in competitive soccer and unites them with a common goal and direction.

By unifying clubs from within the conferences, we have found a way to maintain the defining standards of the former DA and merge them with the new and enhanced standards of the “MLS NEXT.” This integration further presents long-needed flexibility in two key areas; (1) permission for all players to participate in High School Soccer and, (2) revising the substitution rules to encourage clubs to better utilize their player pools, especially when showcasing their players to college coaches.

This innovative and collaborative league is sanctioned by USYS and Cal South and will be spearheaded by the Southwest Division. ALBION SC is proud to be a founding member of the Elite Academy League and will continue to be a pioneer in player development.

 

ALBION SC Elite Academy Program

 

 

 

Program Goal

To develop world-class players and coaches in an effort to place them at the college, professional and National team levels.

 

Program Objectives

To provide the best environment to help each individual player realize their potential. We commit to:

• Putting the players first
• Hiring and developing the best coaching staff
• Developing a winning mentality
• Staying on the forefront of innovation
• Playing attractive soccer
• Teaching the game in a holistic way
• Being transparent
• Doing what’s right
• Improving every day
• The future and constant innovation

 

Core Values

 

Program Structure
Youth to College, National Team, Professional Pathway

We offer a progressive pathway for players at the U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U19, and semi-pro level. Through this structure, we have the ability to fast-track player development and promote youth players. With a commitment to innovation and high-performance, along with optimal structure and resources, we are the model club for player and coach development in the United States.

 

Vertical Integration

The Elite Academy League is connected and aligned with the other areas of the club in order to facilitate proper player development. This requires a consistent training curriculum and methodology. Our coaches collaborate and create the ideal training and game playing scenarios for each player in the program.

 

Professional Staff

ALBION SC hires and attracts experienced coaches that have played and coached at the most elite levels. These coaches are all credentialed with a US Soccer A, B, or C license and are experienced with elite level programming and team management. Our staff includes the following positions:

• Technical Director
• Academy Director
• Academy Administrator
• College Placement Director
• Head Coach
• Goalkeeper Coach

 

Philosophy

We believe in an age-based developmental philosophy that can be defined as follows:

Train to Learn.
U13-U14. At this stage players are primed for the long-term demands of the 11v11 game. During this period, there is heavy emphasis on technical and soccer IQ components of the game. Our teaching is geared towards perfecting our game model and style of play. We strive to develop a winning mentality every day.

Train to Compete.
U15. At this stage players are better prepared for the physical and mental demands of the 11v11 game. While we continue to perfect our game model and style of play, we will  introduce different tactical elements that give us the competitive advantage over our opponents. We compete every day and exude a winning mentality in everything that we do.

Train to Win.
U16-U19. At this stage players are ready to compete and must show the desire to win at all times. We will showcase our players and teams at the highest levels possible.
 

EA Resources and Initiatives

• Financial assistance for players that qualify
• Position-specific training
• Age-based developmental model
• Comprehensive curriculum and teaching methodology
• Additional training with MLS NEXT Teams  

 

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