I had heard that there were exceptions being made this year for players that are seniors in high school. There now seems to be juniors that also played high school in the fall and are playing in for the Cincinnati GDA. I don't know about sophomores or freshman. Is this a Cinci GDA thing or is this being allowed elsewhere? Also, is this only "allowed" for certain players and not others? In other words, if the Cinci DA personnel deem certain players to be important to the success of the DA, exceptions are made for those players.
From the USSDA website:
Can I compete in other competitions like high school or ODP in addition to the DA?
When a player decides to join the DA, that player is committing to strive to become world-class. The DA believes players are most likely to become world-class if they train and compete in a consistent environment. The DA schedule is designed to balance training and meaningful games to optimize player development and maximize player safety.
Playing sports always comes with risk, but players increase their risk of overuse injuries or burnout when they compete in additional competitions. Development Academy training and game environments put player safety at the forefront. Injuries are one of the biggest setbacks to development a player can face.
Therefore, players competing in the DA may only compete in outside competition if called up for Youth National Team duty or if given written consent by U.S. Soccer Development Academy staff.
This seems pretty clear to me. It specifically states "players competing in the DA may only compete in outside competition if called up for Youth National Team duty or if given written consent by U.S. Soccer Development Academy staff."
Therefore, are those Cinci GDA players getting written permission from USSDA staff to play high school ball? Is the staff for Cinci GDA considered to be USSDA staff?
From the Cinci DA website:
Outside Participation
As many of you know, the Development Academy does not allow players to participate in high school soccer and the DA at the same time. However, the DA does allow outside participation in other sports/activities such as high school track and basketball.
The Cinci DA statement is more ambiguous. It seems to have a loophole in which in can be inferred that an athlete may play in the DA after HS season. This is not any different than any club team. Club play by an athlete in Ohio is never allowed at the same time as HS play.
If the DA is now allowing HS play, what is the advantage of the DA? What is the differentiating aspect of the DA and how is it different than the ECNL or any other league for that matter?
I'm not trying to stir the pot or anything like that. These are legitimate questions. A couple of my siblings have kids that are soccer players and are approaching HS age. They've both asked me questions about the DA vs ECNL vs other leagues. I've told them that I am no longer well versed with the landscape of youth soccer. I always thought that once a player committed to the DA that HS soccer, at any time, was o longer allowed. Apparently that is no longer true.
From the USSDA website:
Can I compete in other competitions like high school or ODP in addition to the DA?
When a player decides to join the DA, that player is committing to strive to become world-class. The DA believes players are most likely to become world-class if they train and compete in a consistent environment. The DA schedule is designed to balance training and meaningful games to optimize player development and maximize player safety.
Playing sports always comes with risk, but players increase their risk of overuse injuries or burnout when they compete in additional competitions. Development Academy training and game environments put player safety at the forefront. Injuries are one of the biggest setbacks to development a player can face.
Therefore, players competing in the DA may only compete in outside competition if called up for Youth National Team duty or if given written consent by U.S. Soccer Development Academy staff.
This seems pretty clear to me. It specifically states "players competing in the DA may only compete in outside competition if called up for Youth National Team duty or if given written consent by U.S. Soccer Development Academy staff."
Therefore, are those Cinci GDA players getting written permission from USSDA staff to play high school ball? Is the staff for Cinci GDA considered to be USSDA staff?
From the Cinci DA website:
Outside Participation
As many of you know, the Development Academy does not allow players to participate in high school soccer and the DA at the same time. However, the DA does allow outside participation in other sports/activities such as high school track and basketball.
The Cinci DA statement is more ambiguous. It seems to have a loophole in which in can be inferred that an athlete may play in the DA after HS season. This is not any different than any club team. Club play by an athlete in Ohio is never allowed at the same time as HS play.
If the DA is now allowing HS play, what is the advantage of the DA? What is the differentiating aspect of the DA and how is it different than the ECNL or any other league for that matter?
I'm not trying to stir the pot or anything like that. These are legitimate questions. A couple of my siblings have kids that are soccer players and are approaching HS age. They've both asked me questions about the DA vs ECNL vs other leagues. I've told them that I am no longer well versed with the landscape of youth soccer. I always thought that once a player committed to the DA that HS soccer, at any time, was o longer allowed. Apparently that is no longer true.