Founded | 2020 |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Confederation | CONCACAF |
Number of teams | 95 (2023-24 Season) |
Current champions | TopHat Gold (U13) Nationals Blue (U14) Chicago FC United (U15) Lou Fusz Athletic (U16) Lonestar Red (U17) SC del Sol (U19) |
Website | girlsacademyleague |
Girls Academy (GA) is a soccer league and development platform for female soccer players in the United States. Formed in 2020, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including National Women's Soccer League.
Girls Academy features age groups starting at U-13 through U-19. [1] During the regular season, teams play other members from their respective conferences. The league includes ten conferences (Northwest, Pacific Northwest, Frontier, Mid-America, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain West, Southeast, and Southwest). [2] Top teams from each conference will participate in Playoffs, and National Finals for qualifying teams based on playoff performance. Non-playoff teams will also participate in a season-ending showcase.
Different age groups will also have a varying number of national events throughout the year to provide additional talent showcase opportunities in front of college and professional scouts.
Two members of each conference are selected for Champions League, a separate competition for the most competitive clubs in Girls Academy. [3] Participants qualify based on final league standings. For the U14 through U19 age groups, the highest-ranked wildcard teams at the National Playoff from each age group are added to the mix for a total of 20 teams per age group.
Girls Academy hosts five national events each season — Winter Showcase, Champions Cup, Spring Showcase, Summer Showcase, and National Playoffs, plus two U13/U14 events: East and West regionals. [4]
Citing the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced it was ending the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, leaving top boys and girls clubs to look for a new home. [5] Former Development Academy clubs had a few options, many choosing to move to the Girls Academy, [6] [7] founded by a group of leaders from the Development Player League (DPL). [8]
Former University of Washington women's soccer coach Lesle Gallimore served as its founding commissioner of the Girls Academy. She accepted the position in the summer of 2020, after the conclusion of her 26-year tenure as head coach of the women's soccer team at the University of Washington.
In October 2020, Girls Academy announced a strategic relationship with Major League Soccer and a partnership with USYS. [9] According to the press release, Girls Academy will work in coordination with MLS Next, to “deliver a true pyramid for female youth players in the US, with the GA serving as the USYS premier girls platform in conjunction with MLS.” The partnership will focus on establishing academy standards for coaching and player development, improving talent identification partnerships, enhancing coaching education, and creating competitions to showcase players. While GA will maintain full autonomy over its league, they will also benefit from advice from the leaders of MLS and USYS as it aims to become the premier league for elite female soccer players in the United States.
In June 2023, Lesle Gallimore announced her resignation as Girls Academy commissioner to become General Manager of NWSL club OL Reign. [10] Gallimore was succeeded by Patricia Hughes in September 2023. [11]
On February 10, 2024, U.S. Soccer approved Girls Academy as a National Affiliate member. [12] [13]
U-13 | U-14 | U-15 | U-16 | U-17 | U-19 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020-2021 [14] | Oklahoma Energy FC | Cincinnati United Premier | NEFC | Cincinnati United Premier | Nationals | Bay Area Surf |
2021-2022 | Colorado Rush | Nationals | TSJ FC Virginia | Albion SC [15] | Oakwood SC | Bay Area Surf |
2022-2023 | TopHat Gold | South Shore Select | TopHat Gold | Lou Fusz Athletic | TSJ FC Virginia | Sockers FC Chicago |
2023-2024 [16] [17] | TopHat Gold | Nationals | Chicago FC United | Lou Fusz Athletic | Lonestar | SC del Sol |
Team | National Champs | No. of Wins |
---|---|---|
Nationals † | 2021 (U17); 2022, 2024 (U14) | 3 |
Tophat Gold | 2023, 2024 (U13), 2023 (U15) | 3 |
Bay Area Surf † | 2021, 2022 (U19) | 2 |
Cincinnati United Premier | 2021 (U14, U16) | 2 |
Lou Fusz Athletic | 2023, 2024 (U16) | 2 |
Albion SC | 2022 (U16) | 1 |
Chicago FC United | 2024 (U15) | 1 |
Colorado Rush † | 2022 (U13) | 1 |
Lonestar † | 2024 (U17) | 1 |
NEFC | 2021 (U15) | 1 |
Oakwood SC | 2022 (U17) | 1 |
Oklahoma Energy FC † | 2021 (U13) | 1 |
SC del Sol | 2024 (U19) | 1 |
Sockers FC Chicago | 2023 (U19) | 1 |
South Shore Select † | 2023 (U14) | 1 |
TSJ FC Virginia | 2023 (U16) | 1 |
† Former member club |
U-13 | U-14 | U-15 | U-16 | U-17 | U-19 | Club | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | South Shore Select | Nationals Blue | Cincinnati United | Colorado Rush | Florida United | Bay Area Surf | Nationals |
2023 | Tophat Gold | Cincinnati United | Nationals Blue | Cincinnati United | Albion SC San Diego | Florida United | Tophat |
2024 | City SC | Nationals Blue | City SC | Nationals Blue | Cincinnati United | South Shore Select | Nationals |
For the 2023-24 season, Girls Academy included 95 teams. [18]
Conference | Member Name (Location) |
---|---|
Frontier | BVB International Academy NTX (Carrolton, TX) |
Frontier | HTX Soccer (Houston, TX) |
Frontier | Lonestar SC Red (Austin, TX) |
Frontier | Lonestar SC Black (Austin, TX) |
Frontier | Lou Fusz Athletic (St. Louis, MO) |
Frontier | Louisiana TDP Elite (Baton Rouge, LA) |
Frontier | Renegades Soccer Club (Richardson, TX) |
Frontier | RISE Soccer Club (Houston, TX) |
Frontier | San Antonio City SC (San Antonio, TX) |
Frontier | St. Louis Development Academy (St. Louis, MO) |
Mid-America | Chicago FC United (Glenview, IL) |
Mid-America | Cincinnati United Premier (Cincinnati, OH) |
Mid-America | Indy Premier United (Noblesville, IN) |
Mid-America | Lexington Sporting Club (Lexington, KY) |
Mid-America | Michigan Jaguars FC (Novi, MI) |
Mid-America | Nationals Blue (Detroit, MI) |
Mid-America | Nationals Gray (Detroit, MI) |
Mid-America | Sockers FC (Chicago, IL) |
Midwest | Central Illinois United (Rantoul, IL) |
Midwest | Galaxy SC (Naperville, IL) |
Midwest | Kansas Rush Soccer Club (Olathe, KS) |
Midwest | Salvo SC (Rosemount, MN) |
Midwest | SC Wave (Brookfield, WI) |
Midwest | Sporting Nebraska FC (Omaha, NE) |
Midwest | Tonka Fusion Elite (Plymouth, MN) |
Midwest | VSA Rush (Waukee, IA) |
Mid-Atlantic | Baltimore Armour (Baltimore, MD) |
Mid-Atlantic | Baltimore Celtic (Baltimore, MD) |
Mid-Atlantic | Beadling SC (Bridgeville, PA) |
Mid-Atlantic | Century United FC (Pittsburgh, PA) |
Mid-Atlantic | Keystone FC (Mechanicsburg, PA) |
Mid-Atlantic | Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals (Philadelphia, PA) |
Mid-Atlantic | PA Classics (Manheim, PA) |
Mid-Atlantic | Real Jersey FC (Medford, NJ) |
Mid-Atlantic | SJEB FC (Pitman, NJ) |
Mid-Atlantic | Skyline Elite SC (Charlottesville, VA) |
Mid-Atlantic | Sporting AC (Wilmington, DE) |
Mid-Atlantic | TSJ FC Virginia (Leesburg, VA) |
Mountain West | Albion SC Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) |
Mountain West | Broomfield Soccer Club (Broomfield, CO) |
Mountain West | Colorado Rush (Littleton, CO) |
Mountain West | Las Vegas Sports Academy (Las Vegas, NV) |
Mountain West | New Mexico Soccer Academy (Albuquerque, NM) |
Mountain West | Rio Rapids SC (Albuquerque, NM) |
Mountain West | Utah Celtic FC (Highland, UT) |
Mountain West | Wasatch SC (Kaysville, UT) |
Northeast | Cedar Stars Academy – Monmouth (Tinton Falls, NJ) |
Northeast | Cedar Stars Academy – Bergen (Teaneck, NJ) |
Northeast | Long Island SC (Glen Cove, NY) |
Northeast | NEFC (Mendon, MA) |
Northeast | New York Soccer Club (Purchase, NY) |
Northeast | Oakwood SC (Glastonbury, CT) |
Northeast | Rochester NYFC Youth (West Henrietta, NY) |
Northeast | Seacoast United (Epping, NH) |
Northeast | South Shore Select (Hingham, MA) |
Northeast | STA (Morris Plains, NJ) |
Northeast | Syracuse Development Academy (Solvay, NY) |
Northwest | Almaden FC (San Jose, CA) |
Northwest | Clovis Crossfire (Clovis, CA) |
Northwest | Lamorinda SC (Orinda, CA) |
Northwest | Los Gatos United (Los Gatos, CA) |
Northwest | Sacramento United (Sacramento, CA) |
Northwest | San Francisco Elite Academy (San Francisco, CA) |
Northwest | Santa Clara Sporting (Santa Clara, CA) |
Northwest | Silicon Valley SA (Palo Alto, CA) |
Northwest | West Coast Soccer Club (Tracy, CA) |
Pacific Northwest | Oregon Premier FC (West Linn, OR) |
Pacific Northwest | Capital FC (Salem, OR) |
Pacific Northwest | Columbia Premier SC (Vancouver, WA) |
Pacific Northwest | Eugene Metro Fútbol Club (Eugene, OR) |
Pacific Northwest | Liverpool FC IA Washington (Issaquah, WA) |
Pacific Northwest | OL Reign Academy (Tacoma, WA) |
Pacific Northwest | Spokane Sounders (Spokane, WA) |
Pacific Northwest | Washington Rush (Everett, WA) |
Pacific Northwest | Washington East Surf SC (Spokane, WA) |
Southeast | AFC Lightning (Fayetteville, GA) |
Southeast | Florida United (Miramar, FL) |
Southeast | IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) |
Southeast | PBG Predators (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) |
Southeast | South Carolina Surf (Mt. Pleasant, SC) |
Southeast | Southern Soccer Academy (Marietta, GA) |
Southeast | Tophat Gold (Marietta, GA) |
Southeast | Tophat Navy (Marietta, GA) |
Southeast | United Soccer Alliance (Fleming Island, FL) |
Southeast | Wake FC (Holly Springs, NC) |
Southeast | West Florida Flames (Apollo Beach, FL) |
Southwest | Albion SC San Diego (San Diego, CA) |
Southwest | City SC (Carlsbad, CA) |
Southwest | FC Tucson (Tucson, AZ) |
Southwest | FRAM Soccer Club (Torrance, CA) |
Southwest | LA Surf SC (Pasadena, CA) |
Southwest | Murrieta Soccer Academy (Temecula, CA) |
Southwest | SC del Sol (Phoenix, AZ) |
Southwest | SDSC Surf (San Diego, CA) |
Southwest | West Coast FC (Irvine, CA) |
For the 2022-23 season, nearly 600 Girls Academy committed to play college soccer. 62.8% committed to Division I, 19.6% Division II, 13.4% Division III, and 2.6% NAIA. [19] This was an increase over the 2021-22 season, which had 551 commitments. [20]
The following organizations are a partial list of officials sponsors of Girls Academy:
As of April 2024
Player | GA Club | Pro Club | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Chloe Ricketts | Michigan Jaguars | Washington Spirit | On March 2, 2023, Ricketts signed a three-year deal (with an option for a fourth year) with the team at the age of 15 years and 283 days. The contract made her the youngest ever NWSL signee at the time, breaking the record set by Olivia Moultrie in 2021 (15 years and 286 days). [21] |
Kimmi Ascanio | Florida United | San Diego Wave | In March 2024, San Diego Wave FC signed midfielder Kimmi Ascanio to a three-year contract through the 2026 season. |
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the United States and 3 in Canada—since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
The Chicago Fire Juniors are the youth club affiliate of the Chicago Fire professional soccer club with branches in Chicago, NW Indiana, West Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Established in 2004 as the official youth soccer club of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire, the Chicago Fire Juniors are the only professionally based youth soccer club in the United States. The technical director of the Juniors is Larry Sunderland, also the head coach of the Chicago Fire Premier PDL team.. For 2009, the Chicago Fire Juniors Boys teams are IL State Cup Champions at U15, U16 and U19. For 2019, The Chicago Fire U15 Juniors Boys teams won the YSSL National Soccer Title with an extraordinary 37–0 undefeated season. Led by team captains Francisco Ventro and Dylan Zadeh, the team will advance to the Global Championship in June 2020.
The United States Youth Soccer Association is the largest youth affiliate and member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body for soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer includes 54 State Associations, one per state except for California, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, which each have two State Associations. US Youth Soccer is a non-profit organization.
San Francisco Glens Soccer Club, commonly known as SF Glens, is an American soccer club based in San Francisco that was founded in 1961. Their men's first team currently competes in USL League Two and their women's first team in the USL W League, both in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid.
Toronto FC Academy, also known as TFC Academy, is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC, which competes in MLS Next.
Whitecaps FC Academy is the youth system of the professional soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It fields a men's and women's team in the semi-professional League1 British Columbia.
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league featured youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission was to provide education, resources, and support to impact everyday club environments in order to develop world-class players.
Lesle D. Gallimore is an American sports administrator and former soccer coach who is currently the general manager of Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). From 2020 to 2023, Gallimore was the inaugural commissioner of the Girls Academy League.
Orlando City Soccer Club, known as Orlando City SC or simply Orlando City, is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top division in the United States soccer league system. Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL Pro team of the same name. In doing so they became the first MLS team in Florida since Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny both folded following the 2001 season. The team plays in Downtown Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium, which it owns and operates.
Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference.
Chicago FC United, commonly called FC United, is an American soccer club in the Chicago metropolitan area. FC United fields youth teams for boys and girls, and a semi-professional team in USL League Two, the fourth-tier of American soccer.
David Ochoa is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Born in the United States, he played for the Mexico national under-21 team.
Austin FC is an American professional men's soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 Stadium in north Austin. They are the first major professional sports league team to play in Texas' capital, which prior to 2021 was the largest city in the United States without such a team.
FC Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer League (USL) franchise which played from 2016 to 2018. On May 29, 2018, the club's ownership was awarded an MLS franchise, and the team began MLS play on March 2, 2019. The club's ownership group is led by Carl Linder III with Jeff Berding serving as co-CEO. Currently, the role of general manager is held by Chris Albright.
Midwest United FC is an American soccer club based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that fields teams in MLS NEXT and Elite Clubs National League and senior teams in the Great Lakes Division of USL League Two and USL W League. Midwest United FC is a youth academy affiliate of Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew.
Caleb Ryan Wiley is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left-back or left wing-back for Ligue 1 club Strasbourg, on loan from Premier League side Chelsea, and the United States national team.
MLS Next is a youth soccer league in the United States and Canada that is managed, organized, and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020.
Georgia Storm FC is an American soccer club based in Carrollton, Georgia, United States. The team competes in the Southeast Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The NPSL is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and qualifies for the US Open Cup.
The Canada Soccer National Development Centre and Canada Soccer EXCEL programs are full-time women's soccer development programs run by the Canadian Soccer Association in partnership with the various provincial associations to develop Canadian women's soccer players as part of the Canadian women's soccer pathway. There are three National Development Centres in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia and Regional EXCEL programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Patrick Timothy Schulte is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew and the United States national team.