Player Deveopment Statement
South Side Elite FC would like to be known as the elite soccer club in Northern Illinois and Region II recognized for its excellence in program and player development. The clubs goal is to proivide Collage scholarships for individual players in soccer. In the future we would like to open a soccer facility to run our soccer operations from that will be located in the South Side of Chicago, IL. Moving ahead we would like to offer a sponsorship program for players from low income families that can not afford the high costs of club soccer. Our club is looking to reach out to the communities of Englewood, Blue Island, Washington Heights, Morgan Park, Chatham, Chicago Lawn, and Marionette Park children. The club will be working with religious groups, schools and leaders in the community in those areas to better serve the communities.
Players that show great ability and skill will be recommended by the club to compete in the below programs.
Olympic Development Program (ODP)
The Illinois Olympic Development Program or ODP is the start
of the identification process for the National and Olympic Teams. The Illinois Youth Soccer Association conducts the program for US Soccer under the jurisdiction of the US Olympic Committee. The purpose of this prestigious program is to identify
players on the basis of open tryouts and develop them to represent their state, region, and the United States in soccer competition.
ODP teams are formed in each of the 55 US Youth Soccer State Associations and four regions and are made up of the best players in the various age groups. At the state level, players are selected to participate in pool trainings and competitions against other state teams throughout the winter and based on their performance at those trainings, players are then invited to attend the one-day Illinois ODP State Combine.
The State Combine is the final selection process for the Illinois ODP Teams. Teams, made up of 18 select players, will participate in the Region II ODP Camp to train and compete against the ODP teams from the 14 State Associations in the Midwest. At this camp, players will be identified to the Regional Pool from which they can be invited to represent the Region at national and international competitions. At the national events, players are seen by national staff coaches.
Any soccer player is eligible to participate in the ODP process provided he or she is age eligible for the specific calendar year age group.
Illinois Youth Soccer will follow the US Soccer guidelines.
What it takes to be a successful ODP Player (US Youth Soccer)
Tryouts and
training sessions are conducted by Illinois ODP staff coaches who are recognized for their ability to identify and train players with superior skills. They include club, high school, college and
international coaches who have at least a National ’D’ license although the majority have the top level A’ license. The coaching staff and selection process is overseen by the Illinois Youth Soccer
Director of Coaching.
Players are evaluated by four major components:
Illinois ODP is for serious soccer players who love the game
and have hopes of playing in college, professionally and for the US National team. EVERY YEAR THE PROGRAM STARTS FROM THE BEGINNING – NO ONE IS GIVEN A SPOT.
Players change each year physically and emotionally. Players who may be physically mature at an early age may be surpassed as others mature. Any player can be released and replaced during the
process. We DO NOT select players based on their club affiliation or their club team’s record. The focus of the ODP is a player’s overall development, not tournament wins.
Players are expected to participate in as many ODP events that they can make, behave responsibly, conduct themselves in a professional matter and always challenge themselves to get better.
Although there are many good soccer training sources, the ODP process is the one most recognized throughout the United States as the best way to identify top quality players who can perform in a changing environment and still cope with everyday demands.
Direct benefits for players are:
In addition to our top-level staff coaches, over the years Illinois ODP players have taken part in special training sessions lead by:
Illinois ODP has seen it’s players exceed at the regional and national level with players regularly selected for the Regional Pool and National Pool Events.
For more details about the Illinois Olympic Development Program call 847-290-1577 or email odp@illinoisyouthsoccer.org
About:
Established in 2004, US Club Soccer’s id2 National Identification and Development Program provides an opportunity for the country’s elite youth soccer players to be identified and developed, and scouted for inclusion in U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs.
The id2 Program is an Olympic Development Program (ODP) approved by the United States Olympic Committee and the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Note: Effective fall 2013, with the creation of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-14 age group, full-time U-14 Academy players are not eligible to participate in the id2Program. This is due to U.S. Soccer rules that prohibit full-time Academy players from participating in outside soccer leagues and events. Developmental players in the Academy’s U-14 age group, however, are still eligible to participate in the id2 Program.
FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF THE ID2 PROGRAM:
The Cycle:
Targeted birth years are established every year in consultation with U.S. Soccer in order to align with the scouting priorities for the U-14 National Teams.
The current cycle targeting boys born in 2003 and girls born in 2002 includes four id2 Training Camps in 2016 and National Selection programming in early 2017.
The previous cycle, which targeted boys born in 2002 and girls born in 2001, included four id2 Training Camps in 2015 and will include National Selection programming in early 2016.
Training Camp:
A comprehensive national scouting and recommendation program is used to form a pool from which top players are invited to attend an id2 Training Camp. At the camp, players work with some of the nation’s best coaches, play with and against some of the nation’s best players in their age group, and are scouted by on-site U.S. Soccer staff. In addition to on-field sessions, the camps feature guest speakers, lectures/classroom sessions and other offerings, which make for a multi-faceted learning experience.
For more information on id2 Training Camps, please visit the applicable cycle web page.
http://usclubsoccer.org/programs/player-identification/id2-program/