Growing up in Central Florida was very easy when it concerned soccer - plenty of youth soccer clubs to choose from, adult soccer organized by the Central Florida Soccer League and pick up games that happen all over town. In recent years the growth of soccer has experienced exponential growth; you can choose from many leagues to play all over town any day of the week (especially during recession times, I will discus this phenomenon on my next article). With all this activity regarding soccer I have wondered why the professional level has not been explored by those who know the business of soccer.
After being part of many teams within the Central Florida Soccer League, I have always wondered if there are more opportunities after the premier division?
I started to gather information about the United States Adult Soccer Association which is the governing body of most all adult soccer leagues in the country. As I began to build my adult soccer club REVOLVER F.C. it became clear that we must take advantage of the opportunities that the USASA offers the amateur soccer player. The USASA offers two specific programs of which we want to take full advantage: the National Men’s Open Cup and the Elite Player Development.
According to the USASA website the National Cups Competition is the oldest and most prestigious soccer tournament in the United States for any person who is a member of a team playing in a league of four or more teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation and the United States Adult Soccer Association. The competition began in 1914 for the Men’s Open Cup. In 1923, the Men’s Amateur Cup was added; in 1980 the Women’s Amateur and Over 30 Cups were initiated. Each year, some 250 teams across the United States participate in the National Cups Competition.
The Elite Player Program, originally known as the Select Teams Program, identifies players that exhibit skillful qualities with the intent of becoming a part of the USASA National Select Team player pool. Once selected, the player will be showcased in competitions against professional and international teams. The exposure that our elite players may gain by competing against those professional and international teams can result in professional opportunities for those players. In addition to identifying our elite players, the program provides our coaches the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in highly competitive game situations.
As you can see there are opportunities for those players that want to take their passion for soccer to the professional stage. With hard work and the right attitude, I firmly believe that we can take soccer in Orlando and Central Florida to the next level. If you have comments or ideas that can help us please post it or contact us at revolverfc@hotmail.com