The Villarreal Force Academy has been accepted to compete in the 1st Division of the UPSL (United Premier Soccer League) in the Spring of 2024.
The Villarreal Force Academy is excited to announce their acceptance into the UPSL's Division 1 League in the Spring of 2024. With this acceptance, VFA will extend their age division offering (as of now for the men's side only) to 23U to compete in the UPSL. Which will now be known as the club's "First Team", and the roster that all player's should strive to be on moving forward.
The Club intends on calling upon players that have come through the Villarreal Force Academy and are now playing in college, local college soccer players that want to continue competing out of season, and players that currently compete in the ages of 17U-19U to fill out the roster. Creating an extended pathway for Villarreal CF to identify and give players opportunities to play at the next level that would normally have graduated and moved on from the club.
It is the clubs intention to continue to build within the Villarreal CF/VFA project to offer even more opportunities moving forward with the ultimate goal of offering a 21U team and women's teams at those respective ages as well in the very near future.
By starting in Division 1, it will allow for VFA to get a better understanding of what it will take to create a great product for our club, city and community moving forward. And being that UPSL offers promotion to the UPSL Premier League; the club has it's sights set high.
"From the inception of the Villarreal CF Project, we have always seen this as the next step in our club's and player's developmental path. So many soccer organizations aren't able to offer levels past the 18U-19U age group for boys and girls wanting to achieve higher aspirations. This addition to the pathway does just that for us." - Todd Abbey, Director of Soccer Operations and Coaching
In 2019 the club became one of the first United States Academies for the La Liga club Villarreal CF located in Villarreal, Spain. The relationship is a direct, 1st person pathway for players, staff and coaches to work with their staff overseas, send coaches for coaching education to their training facilities and players for trials, as well as have Villarreal CF's staff coaches coming to Fayetteville.
Six (6) players to date have been identified and sent to Spain, including the last player being picked up by the New England Revolution (MLS) a month after his return and will be moving to New England in August to join their 08 MLS Next Residential Academy team as an 2009. (Ivan Villalobos Lopez; Lumberton, NC)
Last year, (2022) Villarreal CF also started their North American Select team which saw 24 VFA players, ages 13U-19U, selected to attend the trials in Las Vegas the last week of December. To which 13 players were selected to the actual teams that competed in events in the United States and abroad over the past 3 months. With the VCF North American Select trials coming in December of 2023, the club hopes to see even more players asked to participate.
The Villarreal Force Academy is the higher level team and training platforms of the Fayetteville Soccer Club located in Fayetteville, NC.
The Fayetteville Soccer Club was one of the original 6 soccer clubs to compete in NCYSA (North Carolina Youth Soccer Association) and continues to compete in the state associations leagues today at all levels. Establishing themselves as a 501(c)3 Non-for-Profit Organization in 1994, the Fayetteville Force also offers recreational and adult levels in addition to the competitive side of youth academy and travel soccer. Their home is the Jordan Soccer Complex; an 8 Field Bermuda Grass Fully Lighted Facility, located next to Methodist University in Fayetteville's North Side, which they work hand-in-hand with the City of Fayetteville to make sure the playing surfaces and complex are of the highest quality.
In the past 7 years, the club has really made a push to offer a quality product on and off the field. Aside from the signing on as one of the first Villarreal CF United States Academies, the club has seen incredible growth in their membership. Since 2016 Fayetteville Soccer Club/Villarreal Force Academy has gone from:
*50 Little Kickers (3U-5U) players per season > Over 100 Little Kickers (3U-5U) players per season (FSC)
*Average of 250 Recreational (6U-18U) players per season > Over 900 Recreational (6U-18U) players per season (FSC)
*Zero (0) Youth Academy (7U-10U) players per season > Over 100 Youth Academy (7U-10U) players per season (VFA)
*Average of 175 Travel (11U-19U) players per season > Over 400 Travel (11U-19U) players per season (VFA)
*Average of 100 Adult League players per season > Over 250 Adult League players per season (FSC)
*No Club Spring and Summer Camp offerings > over 400 registered soccer camp participants this Spring and Summer (FSC)
"As the VCF/VFA/FSC Project continues, we hope to add more, give more and help more players reach their ultimate goals. Whether that is just playing for fun in our recreational youth and adult levels, helping\ players make their Middle School and High School teams, promoting players to College Squads or guiding them to be Professional players, we want to make sure, as an organization, we can offer all of it. And the addition of the UPSL in our next step". - Abbey continued
All home matches will be played at Jordan Soccer Complex and in the first year, the team will be coached by a compliment of the Villarreal Force Academy's licensed and very experienced upper level staff coaches, as well as Villarreal CF staff coaches from overseas via training sessions, film analysis and online player/coach interactions. The club hopes to make the game day/night experiences one that they can build on into the future.
"We want to make Jordan Soccer Complex a destination for our community to come watch the players and families that have invested so much time and energy in supporting us. One of our goals is to include as much of the club in our game day/night celebrations and continue to build on a culture that has transformed this club over the last several year." - ended Abbey.
As the season moves closer, there will be more information sent out about game nights, schedules, rosters, opportunities and a lot more.
Website:
Villarreal Force Academy
Fayetteville Soccer Club
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ENDAVANT!!!!!