Lonestar SC to drop out of Boys DA, elevate ECNL Boys program to top of club pyramid

RICHMOND, VA – Lonestar SC from Austin, TX will be restructuring its youth platforms for the 2020-21 season and elevating the Boys ECNL to the top of its pyramid.

The club will field a Lonestar North and Lonestar South program in the Texas Conference of ECNL Boys competition beginning in August.

Lonestar SC has operated teams at all ages of the US Soccer Boys Development Academy since its founding in 2007. In 2017, the club joined the ECNL Boys as an inaugural member of the Texas Conference, solidifying an elite player platform beyond the Development Academy. Beginning in the 2020-21 season, Lonestar SC will no longer participate in the Boys Development Academy, instead operating ECNL Boys Lonestar North and Lonestar South programs as the highest level of competitive soccer programming in the organization.

“Since 2017 Lonestar SC has seen the Boys ECNL develop and grow by continuously offering new programs to its membership,” said Lonestar ECNL Boys Director Darren Warham. “We have seen first-hand how the league strives to be on the cutting edge of youth soccer development, are excited to take this next step with our players and families, and look forward to enhancing our relationship with the Boys ECNL and the Texas Conference.”

The ECNL Boys has grown to 90 clubs across eight conferences in its first three years of operation, offering league programming that includes conference play, national events, and player identification opportunities. With the recent announcements of the ECNL Boys Conference Selection Program (CSP) and Conference SuperCup, significant growth in the presence of collegiate scouts at ECNL Boys events, and other program additions, the excitement around the league is at an all-time high.

“Lonestar has been a dominating force in boys soccer in South Texas for more than a decade, is one of the top boys clubs in American youth soccer, and we are proud to support them placing the Boys ECNL as the pinnacle of their youth environment,” said ECNL President Christian Lavers. “The club has developed players that have moved to top professional leagues in multiple countries, including 13 to MLS alone, have helped hundreds of players move to college soccer, and are a perfect fit for the Boys ECNL.”

Additional new clubs for the ECNL Boys for the 2020-2021 season will be announced in the coming months.