ODP Position Statement

US Soccer Developmental Academy and ODP
OYSAN Position Statement

September 2007

US Soccer will begin play in the Great Lakes Conference of their national Development Academy program in the spring of 2008. The USSDA was created to change the youth soccer culture by limiting the number and schedule of games played in a season; by increasing the volume and quality of training; by demanding a more worldly, possession-oriented style of play; by requiring professional coaching qualifications; and by eliminating the pressure to win games at the expense of long-term player development.

The Developmental Academy seeks to attract the top players and OYSAN supports the initiative as a positive advance from the tournament-based model that has virtually over-trodden the historic values of the sport at the club level.

The USSDA divisions are structured around the 2-year U-16 and U-18 age groups which naturally provide for the inclusion of the top U-15 and U-17 players from each academy club.

The USSDA does not currently include divisions for girls.

OYSAN players who compete in the US Soccer Developmental Academy will be assessed for US National Youth Teams via an evolving USSDA scouting network.

Players who compete in the USSDA are not permitted to participate in other Olympic Development Programs.

The primary objective of the Olympic Development Program is the advancement of talented players to the respective youth national teams. This has historically been achieved by the state team selection process and the subsequent regional camp program.

The secondary objective of ODP has been the development of a broader base of competent players who serve to raise the overall standard of play. This has historically been achieved by exposing state pool and state team players to top quality coaches at the local and regional levels.

For players lacking the quality to compete on the national level, ODP has also served as an efficient filter mechanism for college recruiters and many ODP participants do so expressly to be identified by college coaches.

OYSAN will continue to offer an Olympic Development Program for U-12 through U-17 boys and girls in order to 1) service those who do not compete in the USSDA; and 2) to continue the secondary "training and exposure" functions of ODP.

The evolving impact of the USSDA on OYSAN and Region II ODP programming will continue to be assessed on an annual basis.