Chantilly YA, Vienna YS join Virginia NPL for Fall 2015

(Via US Club Soccer) – The Virginia NPL, one of two new leagues in the NPL platform for the 2014-15 season, is welcoming a pair of new clubs for the 2015-16 season. Chantilly Youth Association and Vienna Youth Soccer will join the Virginia NPL beginning in fall 2015, increasing the total number of clubs to 12.

“These two clubs will serve a crucial role in helping the Virginia NPL reach its potential,” NPL General Manager Leo Garcia said, “as the league strives to be an atmosphere conducive to player development and strong competition.”

The Chantilly Youth Association (CYA) fields boys and girls age groups. U-11 through U-16 boys teams are set to compete in the fall, while U-11, U-12, U-14, U-15 and U-16 girls teams also ready themselves for a competitive schedule.

“The NPL can look to CYA as a dedicated and strong contributing member,” CYA Soccer’s Travel Coordinator Mark Smith said. “Both our girls and boys teams will field highly competitive sides and a strong dedication to player development to an already challenging league. Our newly renovated and lighted turf facilities are some of the best in the area and will be a tremendous resource for our home events. We look forward to the new challenge the NPL will bring to CYA and look forward to hosting our first games in fall 2015.”

The addition of CYA to the Virginia NPL made sense, as both share common goals of player development and identification principles, Oscar Feliu, CYA Soccer’s Technical Director said. “The NPL has been raising the educational standards for youth players across the nation since 2011, and the acceptance by US Club Soccer of CYA Soccer to the Virginia NPL is a reward to our program’s growth and development in recent years,” Feliu added. “By joining the Virginia NPL, we are reaching another milestone in making CYA Soccer a premier youth soccer club in the northern Virginia area.”

Meanwhile, its fellow Virginia NPL club rookie, Vienna Youth Soccer (VYS) also enters the NPL landscape with aspirations of achieving long-term success in the club-based platform. “VYS sought entry into the Virginia NPL, because it not only offers our teams the opportunity to play against some of the best clubs throughout the state, but it does so within the context of a club-based system, which is a critical element of VYS’s development model and our mission to provide the highest quality soccer experience for our players,” said Rich Gunney, Vienna Youth Soccer’s (VYS) incoming Technical Director.

VYS has boys and girls teams in U-13 through U-18/19 age groups, making every participating team eligible for the NPL Finals, which is the targeted destination of all NPL teams throughout their year-long, league-based competition each season.

“VYS has a long-standing tradition of excellence in soccer in both its girls and boys programs at all age levels,” Gunney added. “VYS is excited to provide the current clubs in the Virginia NPL with another top quality partner in the northern Virginia region.”