Girls Academy (GA) is a soccer league and development platform for female soccer players in the United States. Formed in 2020, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...

History

Citing the financial impact of the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, the

U.S. Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

announced it was ending the

U.S. Soccer Development Academy The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...

, leaving top boys and girls clubs to look for a new home. Former Development Academy clubs had a few options, choosing to move to either the already established Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), or the Girls Academy, founded by a group of leaders from the Development Player League (DPL). Former University of Washington women's soccer coach

Lesle Gallimore Lesle D. Gallimore (born October 17, 1963) is an American soccer coach and sports administrator who is currently the commissioner of the Girls Academy League. She most recently coached the women's soccer program at the University of Washington ...

serves as commissioner of the Girls Academy. She accepted the position in the summer of 2020, after the conclusion of her 26-year tenure as head coach of the women's soccer team at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. In October 2020, Girls Academy announced a strategic relationship with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

and a partnership with USYS. According to the press release, Girls Academy will work in coordination with

MLS Next MLS Next (stylized as MLS NEXT) is a youth soccer league in the United States and Canada, that is managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Developmen ...

, to “deliver a true pyramid for female youth players in the US, with the GA serving as the USYS premier girls platform in conjunction with MLS.” The partnership will focus on establishing academy standards for coaching and player development, improving talent identification partnerships, enhancing coaching education, and creating competitions to showcase players. While GA will maintain full autonomy over its league, they will also benefit from advice from the leaders of MLS and USYS as it aims to become the premier league for elite female soccer players in the United States.

Competition format

Girls Academy features age groups starting at U-13 through U-19. During the regular season, teams play other members from their respective conferences. The league includes eight conferences (Northwest, Southwest, Frontier, Mid-America, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Mountain West, and Southeast). Top teams from each conference will participate in Playoffs, and National Finals for qualifying teams based on playoff performance. Non-playoff teams will also participate in a season-ending showcase. Different age groups will also have a varying number of national events throughout the year to provide additional talent showcase opportunities in front of college and professional scouts.

National champions

Notable players

Since its founding in 2020, the league has had players join the ranks of U.S. Women's Youth National Teams.

U20 Youth National Team

* Mia Justus (2022,

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...

) * Neeku Purcell (2022, OL Reign Academy) * Ayo Oke (2022, Tophat) * Lilly Reale (2022, South Shore Select) * Evelyn Shores (2022, Tophat) * Emily Colton (2022, City SC) * Carina Lageyre (2022, Florida United) * Michelle Cooper (2022, IMG Academy) * Andrea Kitahata (2022, Bay Area Surf)

U17 Youth National Team

* Nicollette Kiorpes (2022, NEFC) * Keegan Schmeiser (2022,

Chicago FC United Chicago FC United, commonly called FC United, is an American soccer club in the Chicago metropolitan area. FC United fields youth teams for boys and girls, and a semi-professional team in USL League Two, the fourth-tier of American soccer. Yout ...

) * Amalia Villarreal (2022, Michigan Jaguars)

U15 Youth National Team

* Molly Vapensky (2022,

) * Jocelyn Travers (2022, Bay Area Surf) * Kimmi Ascanio (2022, Florida United) * Atehortua Montes (2022, New York Soccer Club) * Kennedy Zorn (2022, SC del Sol) * Ashlyn Puerta (2022, Albion SC)

References

{{reflist Women's soccer in the United States Youth soccer in the United States Soccer leagues in the United States