Piedmont Youth Soccer League

Overview

Piedmont Youth Academy (PYA)

The goal of the Piedmont Youth Academy program at the individual level is to develop skills in a fun and competitive environment where all coaches encourage individual creativity and foster technical ability. PYA players will learn to play freely without fear of failure in all positions on the pitch.

The goal of PYA from at the wholistic level is to develop a player base for future PYSL Travel Squads. All players who have a spot in the Academy have earned it with a tryout.

COACHING STAFF

Coaching for PYA in Fall of 2019 and Spring of 2020 will be overseen by the PYSL Academy Director, Lucas Almeida. Individual teams are coached by volunteers, usually parents.

PLAYER SELECTION

All Piedmont Youth Academy teams within the PYSL will be formed after an evaluation by the PYA coaching staff and the PYSL Director of Coaching. Players who wish to tryout can register with the club by emailing Lucas Almeida here. Any players who don’t register by email will have to register on the day of the evaluation. Players must attend evaluation to be selected on any of the PYA teams. Those players who cannot attend the scheduled evaluation date must consult with PYA Director, Lucas Almeida.

RULES

A copy of the rules for the Academy League are posted underneath. The rules follow much of the same rules found in Rec, but with a few differences that pertain to the development of the soccer player.

southern va academy league rules.docx

TRAINING / MATCHES

Training will take place twice per week. Once selected to an Academy level team, all training sessions are mandatory. Players who do not train may lose playing time in matches. If missing a training session is unavoidable, the player must let his/her coach know in advance so that the coach can plan his/her practice plans accordingly.

The PYA teams will play in the Academy League, consisting of Danville, Southside, Halifax and JH Soccer Academy. Competitions will take place on the weekends, with a possible case of a weekday game. In addition, PYA teams will be eligible to play in some outside tournaments. If missing a match is unavoidable, the player must let his/her coach know at least 5 calendar days in advance so that the coach can plan that particular weekend’s squads accordingly, as teams will be mixed up throughout the season.

FALL AND SPRING COSTS

$130 per season*
Cost Includes: Coaching, Team Practice Equipment, Insurance, Administration, Field set-up, Uniform (1 jersey, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of socks), Facilities (Smith River Sports Complex for Practices and Games)

*Players are encouraged to participate in both seasons for greater development.