South Bay Force will become one of the primary sources for developing youth players for the LA Galaxy’s youth teams, which play in the Southern California Development Soccer League (SCDSL) and the elite U.S. Soccer Development Academy circuit.
The LA Galaxy and South Bay Force organizations will share coaching resources and staff and create a common curriculum and methodology for developing young players. Top players from South Bay Force will be able to move onto LA Galaxy Youth Academy teams, and South Bay Force teams will be able to draw from a larger talent pool and prepare players to compete for the Galaxy.
Galaxy Academy Senior Director Chris Klein said "The Galaxy Academy is excited about our new alliance with South Bay Force. When we first looked at forming alliances with different clubs around Southern California we immediately reached out to South Bay not just because of its excellent reputation, but more importantly for their focus on developing the next generation of soccer players."
Galaxy Academy and South Bay Force will share administrative resources for player registration, league participation, field inventory, and special events. They will also partner in developing regional training centers and creating community training opportunities for players throughout the Southland.
The sharing of coaching talent, education, training, and other resources will be across both girls and boys teams. Both Adidas and the LA Galaxy organization will assist with applications to elite girls leagues and provide support with entry into major girls tournaments, events and player identification programs. The clubs will also explore girls camps and clinics featuring Adidas-sponsored female players.
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About the LA Galaxy Youth Academy
The LA Galaxy Youth Academy, presented by Adidas, is the MLS club’s official youth development program, designed to identify, develop and realize the Galaxy stars of tomorrow. Featuring U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, and U-18 teams, the LA Galaxy Youth Academy allows the Galaxy to identify and train the best young talent in the region. The LA Galaxy Youth Academy provides a path for young soccer players in the Los Angeles area to become professionals by placing them in a unique environment with a curriculum that challenges and educates, on and off the field. The LA Galaxy Youth Academy is focused on developing future professional soccer players - wins and losses are secondary.
About South Bay Force
The club is by many measures the most successful soccer club in the South Bay. This year four SBF teams played in Coast Soccer League’s Premier Division, the LA area’s top bracket for U16 - U19 teams -- the most of any club in the South Bay and tied for 1st among all greater LA clubs. The GU16 team won a national championship. In partnership with Orange County’s Pateadores, SBF is the only team in the South Bay to have a team in U. S. Soccer’s elite Development Academy circuit. SBF players have participated in US National Team trials and all major player identification programs (Olympic Development Program, U. S. Club Soccer Id2 Program and Adidas ESP), and SBF teams regularly play in the major college showcase events. The club’s focus on player development is seen in the recent selection of eleven SBF players for Cal South’s winter Olympic Development Program (ODP) pool and the invitation of five to the U. S. National Training Center. At least seventeen recent alumni are playing in college and two play in MLS. The club’s staff consists of current and former NCAA coaches, current US national team staff, former D-1 collegiate players, current and former Olympic Development Program coaches, and former professional players. All hold USSF coaching licenses and many hold the top "A" license.
