The Academy serves as an instructional program for players ages 8U through 12U who are seeking a more structured environment than Recreational Soccer, but may not be ready for the competition, travel, and cost of associated with the Classic Soccer Program. The Youth Academy consist of player pools in 3-4 different training groups depending on the number of participants, their skill level or age of those participants. The player pools and/or training groups will be divided into teams for play during each Festival weekend. Academy pool teams have the liberty of adjusting (up or down) their rosters as needed at each festival to ensure the proper level of competition is always achieved. The Youth Academy is designed to remove the results oriented, "must win at all cost" mentality associated with youth soccer and sports in general. All Academy Festivals will be played without published or recorded scoring and equal playing time is guaranteed for all participants who attend training on a regular basis and maintain a good attitude and attendance throughout their tenure.

Players interested in the Academy Program must participate in an Open Academy Player Assessment. Open assessments usually occur at the end of each Season (May and November time frame). This is not a "tryout" process resulting in a player being cut; rather, it is an opportunity for players, parents, and coaches to assess the suitability of the program to the player's stage of development and to determine if Academy placement is suitable. This program requires a year (June-Feb Fall/Spring) round commitment and does have a financial cost (Club Fees/Team Fees).

*If this is your first time playing a sport through SSA, you are required to turn in a copy of the participant’s Birth Certificate. We highly encourage that you upload a copy to your players profile by logging in to your account, selecting your players profile, scrolling down to "Upload Birth Certificate" and clicking button