Girls Academy
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.
 | |
| Founded | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | 95 (2023-24 Season) |
| Current champions | Tophat Gold (U13) South Shore Select (U14) Tophat Gold (U15) Lou Fusz (U16) TSJ FC Virginia (U17) Sockers FC (U19) |
| Website | girlsacademyleague |
Competition format
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.
Champions League
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.
National events
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]
History
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]
League Champions
National champions
| U-13 | U-14 | U-15 | U-16 | U-17 | U-19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021[11] | Oklahoma Energy FC | Cincinnati United Premier | NEFC | Cincinnati United Premier | Nationals | Bay Area Surf |
| 2021-2022 | Colorado Rush | Nationals | TSJ FC Virginia | Albion SC[12] | Oakwood SC | Bay Area Surf |
| 2022-2023 | Tophat Gold | South Shore Select | Tophat Gold | Lou Fusz Athletic | TSJ FC Virginia | Sockers FC Chicago |
| Team | National
Champs |
No. of
Wins |
Champions Cup | No. of
Wins |
Total
combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati United Premier | 2021 (U14, U16) | 2 | 2022 (U15); 2023 (U13, U15) | 3 | 5 |
| Nationals | 2021 (U17); 2022 (U14) | 2 | 2022 (U14); 2023 (U15) | 2 | 4 |
| Tophat Gold | 2023 (U13, U15) | 2 | 2023 (U13) | 1 | 3 |
| Bay Area Surf † | 2021 (U19); 2022 (U19) | 2 | 2022 (U19) | 1 | 3 |
| South Shore Select | 2023 (U14) | 1 | 2022 (U13) | 1 | 2 |
| Albion SC | 2022 (U16) | 1 | 2023 (U17) | 1 | 2 |
| Colorado Rush | 2022 (U13) | 1 | 2022 (U16) | 1 | 2 |
| NEFC | 2021 (U15) | 1 | None | 0 | 1 |
| Oakwood SC | 2022 (U17) | 1 | None | 0 | 1 |
| Oklahoma Energy FC † | 2021 (U13) | 1 | None | 0 | 1 |
| Sockers FC Chicago | 2023 (U19) | 1 | None | 0 | 1 |
| TSJ FC Virginia | 2023 (U16) | 1 | None | 0 | 1 |
| Florida United | None | 0 | 2022 (U17) | 1 | 1 |
| † Former member club | |||||
Teams
For the 2023-24 season, Girls Academy included 95 teams.[13]
| 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 (Trinton 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 | Bridge City SA (Portland, 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) |
College athletics
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.[14] This was an increase over the 2021-22 season, which had 551 commitments.[15]
Sponsorship
The following organizations are a partial list of officials sponsors of Girls Academy:
Notable players
As of June 2023
| 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).[16] |
References
- "Events | Girls Academy League". girlsacademyleague.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- Clark, Travis (May 8, 2020). "DPL announces new Girls Academy League". Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- "GA announces Champions League details". TopDrawerSoccer.com. January 18, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- Langone, Matt (April 19, 2023). "Girls Academy Spring Showcase: Which teams shined brightest in North Carolina?". New England Soccer Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- Carlise, Jeff (April 16, 2020). "USSF ends academy; MLS announces youth league". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- Straus, Brian (April 16, 2020). "The Development Academy's Demise and What it Means for U.S. Soccer's Youth". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- Nilsson, Ryan (April 25, 2020). "U.S. Soccer shutters Development Academy, but elite athletes have plenty of options". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- Wharton, Chuck (April 26, 2020). "U.S. Soccer Development Academy: Girls league launches counter". Fansided. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- "MLS to collaborate with the Girls Academy, largest all-girls youth soccer organization in USA". Major League Soccer. October 22, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- Evans, Jayda (June 6, 2023). "UW legend Lesle Gallimore takes over as OL Reign's GM". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- "Girls Academy Finals conclude in North Carolina, league champs crowned". SoccerWire. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- "Albion SC U16 wins Girls Academy National Championship". FOX 5 San Diego. July 28, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
- "Girls Academy Members". girlsacademyleague.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- "Girls Academy Class of 2023". Instagram. May 17, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- "Class of 2022 | Girls Academy League". girlsacademyleague.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- Jackson, Wilton (March 3, 2023). "NWSL's Spirit Sign Youngest Player in League History". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 9, 2023.