New York Red Bulls announce restructuring of youth development system

HARRISON, N.J. (Via New York Red Bulls) – The New York Red Bulls have announced changes to the club’s youth development system. As part of the restructuring, Red Bulls Academy Director Bob Montgomery will transition into a new role as Director of Coaching Education and Youth Partnerships. The organization will also implement several initiatives designed to further enhance the development of young players in the Red Bulls’ system.

“These changes are designed to keep the Red Bulls ahead of the curve in terms of how young players are developed,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curtis.

“This is an exciting time for the organization. The changes are a tangible sign of our commitment to continue to enrich youth soccer in the Metro area and to become the strongest and most innovative developer of young talent in North America.”

In his new role, Montgomery will serve as a daily coaching education resource to the first team, USL and academy coaching staffs to ensure that the club’s philosophy, style of play and core principles stay consistent between all three platforms.

Montgomery will also begin an outreach program to begin sporting partnerships with local clubs, and be a resource to young players and their parents.

The search for a new academy director will begin immediately.

Over the coming months, the organization will put several programs in place that are designed to further enhance the development of the academy players and strengthen the connection of the Red Bulls Academy teams with the USL team and its first team.

The Red Bulls Academy is considered one of the premier development academies in North America. The four teams, ages U-13 through U-18, all consistently rank in the top-five academy programs in the Nation. The U-13, U-14 and U-16 teams enter the Spring U.S. Soccer Development Academy Season ranked first in the nation in their respective age groups, while the U-18s are currently ranked fourth.