Ronkonkoma, NY (February 25, 2020) – The Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) announced a restructuring and rebranding of the league wide Player Development Program (PDP), to the LIJSL Academy.
Previously, PDP was focused on player development through training along with scrimmages amongst teams in the program and friendlies with local and regional teams. With the shift to the LIJSL Academy structure, players will be part of a pathway that continues to put them in an environment with elite-level training sessions, while offering a higher standard of competition on a national level to further push the progress of each player’s development.
“The LIJSL Academy is going to be a supplemental training and games-based program for players that want training and games in addition to what they have at their current club, LIJSL Technical Director Ronan Wiseman said. “Academy teams will be playing in meaningful competitions that could lead to a National Championship, and this type of experience can help player development.”
“Playing your teammates in practice is the norm for training, but having the competitive component at the end of the week creates a different mindset in the players which is great,” Wiseman said. “They [players] will always have games to play throughout their soccer careers so this is another way for them to work on their mental preparation.”
The LIJSL Academy offers instruction from top coaches on Long Island and players can expect competitive matches at an even higher level than ever before. Additionally, the Academy plans to add a competitive indoor component that allows for elite-level training all year round.
The LIJSL Academy is designed for committed players that are looking for additional training and exclusive matches outside the scope of their respective clubs in Boys & Girls U11-U19 age groups.
The current PDP teams will play out the remainder of their 2020 tournament schedules, but under the LIJSL Academy name. LIJSL Academy tryouts will be announced at a later date to prepare for national competition in the summer of 2020.