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Post by atv on Aug 20, 2019 6:42:48 GMT -5
Fully-funded Tormenta FC Academy aims to eliminate pay-to-play barriers
(Via USL League Two) – In April, the South Georgia Tormenta FC Academy announced a 2019-20 pilot program with an aim to break down barriers for youth soccer in America. The program will give fully-funded contracts to 54 players across the southeast in an effort to make soccer accessible to the best players in the region.
Tormenta FC is funding the program through donors and corporate sponsors to help eliminate the standard pay-to-play model for top members of its academy. The program will fund the 2006 boys’ team as well as the 2007 boys’ and girls’ teams, covering the costs of registration, uniforms, league play, tournament fees and training camps for each player on contract.
“This is a very exciting time for soccer in our area, and the three fully-funded teams in the Tormenta FC Academy program are leading the way in creating opportunities for every participant to thrive,” said Brad Nein, director of youth soccer operations for Tormenta FC.
The project means as much to the parents as it does to the players.
“It’s doing something that no one else is doing, and it is clearly going to break down barriers for kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to play,” said Jerry Heely, the father of a boy on the 2006 team. “If we can get top coaching, top leagues with top players with funding all taken care of, that is a perfect thing for the community and for the team and the club.”
Scott Kelly, another ‘06 dad, shared Heely’s sentiment.
“I think it’s huge. I think just the impact alone with all these big names and the model they have right now and what they showed today has been amazing,” said Kelly. “They have it put together very well and I think it is going to be very successful for not only these kids but for years to come with the kids coming behind them.”
Set to begin later in 2019, the program’s inception will occur around the same time that the new USL Academy kicks off, a model designed to help create the clearest path possible from the youth level to professional soccer. In the USL Academy League, participating clubs will field a single elite youth team, made up primarily of the best local players within the U15 to U19 age range. Initiatives like the Tormenta FC academy program will be critical in laying the foundation for Tormenta’s future USL Academy program and in providing top local players with a direct path to the professional ranks.
Tormenta’s Academy program is a significant step forward for the system currently in place. It could prove to be instrumental in building future League Two stars and professionals by providing access to the sport for young players regardless of their financial background, all proudly wearing the Tormenta badge.
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Post by soccernotfootball on Aug 20, 2019 7:34:22 GMT -5
That's awesome. Hopefully, all the soccer people in the metro take note. If this is successful, it should be a model going forward for other clubs. To paraphrase: "Soccer costs are too damn high."
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Post by allthingsoccer on Aug 20, 2019 8:06:28 GMT -5
I wrote a program for CF a few years back that was similar (corporate sponsors) but doesnt seemed anyone was interested at CF.
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Post by justwatching on Aug 20, 2019 8:09:35 GMT -5
I think this is great. Any idea how it is being funded? It seems like a great way to start a youth academy from scratch and potentially pull in some quality kids immediately to build with but how do you keep it sustainable? I can't imagine their USL One team is pulling in enough revenue to support its pro team and academy. I hope they are successful and other clubs see it and try to figure out fully funded programming. For these large academies I personally don't think having a fully funded portion of their programming would be difficult the club just has to want to do it/see value in it for them.
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Post by hotspur1 on Aug 20, 2019 8:15:50 GMT -5
Just curious, is this that much different than what some of the local clubs are already doing? I know there are clubs already giving financial aid/free fees to players. This article mentions basically giving free soccer to “top” players. The pessimist in me says it’s a recruiting tool...
That being said, anything to mitigate costs in soccer are a good thing.
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Post by soccernotfootball on Aug 20, 2019 8:45:12 GMT -5
Just curious, is this that much different than what some of the local clubs are already doing? I know there are clubs already giving financial aid/free fees to players. This article mentions basically giving free soccer to “top” players. The pessimist in me says it’s a recruiting tool... That being said, anything to mitigate costs in soccer are a good thing. It's a pilot program: "Tormenta FC Academy will finance youth soccer fees for three teams: 2007 boys, 2007 girls and 2006 boys. This includes all financial obligations such as registration, uniforms, league and tournament fees, training camps and travel to accommodate the “professional” experience." It's different as it's not "schloarships" based on financial needs as most clubs do. The "top" players are the kids who make those 3 academy teams. It looks to be fully funded like ATL UTD's academy. (Which would be a game changer if other youth academy's can take the same model to match the pro club.) |
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Post by atv on Aug 20, 2019 8:55:12 GMT -5
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Post by 04gparent on Aug 20, 2019 10:02:16 GMT -5
I love the idea and at least someone is looking for ways to solve issues in the soccer world.
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Post by atlfutboldad on Aug 20, 2019 10:27:25 GMT -5
Good luck to them. I think the USL academies have the most to gain from strategies like this. They outnumber the MLS clubs and aren't hamstrung with DA structure. Its totally a recruiting tool, but nothing wrong with that. Will it translate to more homegrown talent?
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Post by Soccerhouse on Aug 20, 2019 11:31:29 GMT -5
Love the idea, hopefully they have a player pool large enough to draw from.
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Post by mistergrinch on Aug 20, 2019 12:36:15 GMT -5
I didn't think there were even that many people in Statesboro. |
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Post by atlfutboldad on Aug 20, 2019 12:44:09 GMT -5
IMO, these small ~5K seat stadiums and the teams playing in them and the fans going to them should be one of the primary goals of the USSF. There should be one of these per 1 million people in a city (really more than that) with different USL teams (Championship, League One, League Two) owning and running them. This is how we get to English-style football culture. Will see if it happens.
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Post by rifle on Aug 20, 2019 20:23:21 GMT -5
IMO, these small ~5K seat stadiums and the teams playing in them and the fans going to them should be one of the primary goals of the USSF. There should be one of these per 1 million people in a city (really more than that) with different USL teams (Championship, League One, League Two) owning and running them. This is how we get to English-style football culture. Will see if it happens. a first team for EVERY youth club in a giant pyramid. Let the best rise and be known. And be paid if they’re worth it. |
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on Aug 21, 2019 5:53:04 GMT -5
Reading about all the ins and outs of the USL Academy Cup(USL-AC) raises some questions for me. - Are most USL youth academy teams fully/partially funded? - If not, who pays for the travel schedule to play each other(see map)? - What will the new heirarchy look like with boys ECNL(higher/lower) and USL-AC? - Does the success of the USL-AC, effectively put a nail in the coffin of boys ECNL? - Will current clubs with DA forgo their DA teams or add the USL-AC to their current rosters?  |
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Post by footyfan on Aug 21, 2019 7:45:27 GMT -5
Reading about all the ins and outs of the USL Academy Cup(USL-AC) raises some questions for me. - Are most USL youth academy teams fully/partially funded? - If not, who pays for the travel schedule to play each other(see map)? - What will the new heirarchy look like with boys ECNL(higher/lower) and USL-AC? - Does the success of the USL-AC, effectively put a nail in the coffin of boys ECNL? - Will current clubs with DA forgo their DA teams or add the USL-AC to their current rosters? My understanding of USL Academy cup & league 1. Most USL Academy teams are not fully/partially funded at this point. Some clubs that are well-funded are though. 2. the map you see is just the participating clubs for this year's USL Academy CUP. The cup is for 2 age groups this year: 03/04 and 07/08. The 03/04 teams have a regional(East/West) play-in in Feb/March, 07/08s just play in the final in Tampa in May. Not sure if the Cup continues after the league is formed. 3. Starting next year(2020) there will be an actual USL Academy LEAGUE. In that first year (2020) each USL club involved will have an Academy team consisting of a single team for U15-U19 combined. 4/5. Good questions re DA and ECNL on boys side. USL clubs do not need to follow the DA rules(1 game per day and no High School) so not sure if DA will be top league and USL second league for those clubs that remain in both? I'm also curious if DA top tier becomes MLS-only and then remaining clubs will have either USL Academy league (for USL affiliated youth clubs) or DA second tier for non-affiliated youth clubs. I posted a list of USL Clubs in Southeast on another thread that would indicate the potential (2019-based) regional play. Edit: here is the link- gasoccerforum.com/thread/3805/usl-academy-league |
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Post by footyfan on Aug 21, 2019 7:47:27 GMT -5
*note that the USL Academy Cup and League are evolving. Additional regional play-ins for the cup and additional age groups for the league are likely next steps in the evolution.
(Edited for clarity)
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on Aug 21, 2019 8:25:34 GMT -5
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Post by Soccerhouse on Aug 21, 2019 8:59:04 GMT -5
What are peoples thoughts on a single combined team for 4 age groups? Seems like most teams will be very top heavy with the oldest 2 age groups.
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Post by footyfan on Aug 21, 2019 9:16:02 GMT -5
What are peoples thoughts on a single combined team for 4 age groups? Seems like most teams will be very top heavy with the oldest 2 age groups. "In an effort for professional player development to remain the priority over short-term results, the USL will mandate caps on the number of players at each age who comprise the team. This will ensure players with true professional potential have an opportunity to be identified and integrated into a pre-professional environment at an even earlier age, while accelerating their development and giving them the best shot of reaching their local club’s first team and beyond." |
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Post by footyfan on Aug 21, 2019 10:25:54 GMT -5
If you have a membership to the Athletic(I recommend it highly) there is a new article out by Jeff Reuter that sheds some additional light on the USL Academy. I dont agree with any premise that makes soccer in this country reliant on MLS, but it's a very informative article: theathletic.com/1151015/2019/08/20/One quote: "Some USL markets already boast academy systems. San Antonio and Saint Louis FC each signed players to pro deals from their youth ranks this year, while North Carolina FC has a similar academy setup. All three teams compete in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy system that consists of MLS academies and top-level youth setups across the country. It will be possible for these teams to maintain a DA and a team in the USL Academy League" |
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Post by atv on Aug 22, 2019 6:51:26 GMT -5
Regarding impacting Boys ECNL, I don’t see this as related in any way. Boys ECNL looks very strong starting it’s 3rd year. What affects Boys ECNL teams more than anything is AU and the large number of players they take from the youngest ages. But the big clubs have surprisingly very deep player pools and opportunities for other kids to step up and they do. Often with higher ceilings than the kid that left. Funny how that works.
l love Tormenta, their philosophy and what their doing. USL Academies are a little too new and fragmented right now but I think this fills a need for South/ Middle GA that didn’t exist before. Logistically I only think this is an option for players w/in an hour of Statesboro. Maybe Savannah which has great talent but have always been on kind of an island from the rest of GA Soccer
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