US Youth Soccer Sunshine Conference Girls Academy Division to debut in 2021-22 season

FRISCO, Texas — US Youth Soccer has announced the formation of the USYS Sunshine Conference Girls Academy Division — the latest Club vs. Club Division within the USYS National League Conferences.

The Sunshine Conference Girls Academy Division will feature competition for teams in the 13U through 19U age groups and have many of the same standards as the conference’s existing Boys Academy Division.

The Girls Academy Division has secured commitments from nine clubs, including: Chargers SC, Florida Rush, IdeaSport Soccer Academy, IMG Academy, Jacksonville FC, Miami Rush, South Florida Football Academy, FC Tampa Rangers and West Florida Flames SC.

“We are excited to introduce the Sunshine Conference Girls Academy Division and provide a platform for some of the top players in Florida to challenge themselves on a regular basis to further their development,” said Chris Webb, Director of Operations & Event Management for USYS. “As with our Club vs. Club Divisions in other National League Conferences, it’s exciting to offer a club-based league in the Sunshine Conference that presents the teams and players with pathways to other high-level USYS programs.”

The first-place team in each age group of the Girls Academy Division will advance to that season’s USYS Southern Regional Championships. Meanwhile, the top two finishers in the 13U-18U age groups will qualify to compete in the next season of National League P.R.O. Girls Academy Division teams will also have access to compete in the National League Showcase Series.

Gameplay for the Girls Academy Division will begin in the Fall 2021 season. Play dates will enable players to participate in high school soccer and other USYS programs, including USYS ODP and the Florida Youth Soccer Association State Cup.

“FYSA is tremendously excited to work with USYS in offering this new and unique pathway to Regionals and National League P.R.O.,” Executive Director FYSA Joel Dragan said. “These clubs within the Sunshine Conference Girls Academy Division will undoubtedly help FYSA further our mission to Lead, Innovate, and Inspire a Lifelong Passion for Soccer.”

The Sunshine Conference is one of 13 Conferences within the USYS National League and serves teams primarily from Florida. Top tier divisions of each conference provide teams with an opportunity to earn their place in National League P.R.O., which provides teams in the 14U-19U Boys and Girls age groups with the chance to compete for berths to the USYS National Championships. For each gender, 12 teams per age group will advance to the National Championships from National League P.R.O.