July 22, 2020
Casa Grande, AZ – Barça Residency Academy is pleased to announce that the club has joined the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) as the leagues newest Division I member.
Based in Casa Grande, AZ, Barça Residency Academy will begin UPSL play in the 2020 Fall Season as a member of the Arizona Division. The club will host its UPSL home games at Grande Sports World – Home of Barça Residency Academy (12684 W. Gila Bend Hwy, Casa Grande, AZ 85193) in compliance with UPSL National Division I standards.
UPSL Vice President Christian Vallejos said, “We are extremely excited to welcome Barça Residency USA to the UPSL. The club has state-of-the-art facilities at Grande Sports World and coaches from FC Barcelona. We are very proud that Barça Residency Academy USA, a club that’s so successful at moving players on to the next level, is including the UPSL in their player development pathway.”
Barça Residency Academy is FC Barcelona’s youth residency soccer academy in the United States, located at Grande Sports World – Home of Barça Residency Academy, a blossoming center for excellence in youth soccer development and education in the United States. Committed to competing at the highest levels within the U.S. soccer development platform, Barça Residency Academy Under-18 and Under-19 players will compete in the UPSL as Barça Residency USA, formed to compete exclusively in the UPSL. This age group of players will also compete in the new MLS Elite Player Development Platform that replaced the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) earlier this summer.
Barça Residency USA can participate in the qualifying rounds for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation and membership with the UPSL, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).
The only full-time residential academy program partnered with a top international professional team, Barça Residency Academy players live, train, and attend school on Grande Sports World’s campus that features on-site dormitories, Arizona State Preparatory High School, eight soccer fields, professional nutrition programming and a 58,000 square foot state-of-the-art athletic training facility.
“We are delighted to be joining the UPSL for the upcoming season. Being a part of the largest professional development league within the USA will provide tremendous opportunities for our club. There is a high level of talent and competition within the league and we believe that it will provide a true pathway for our players to help them achieve their goals competing at the highest level,” Barça Residency Academy Director Ged Quinn said.
“The UPSL platform provides a context where our players can continue to nurture their development as a soccer player and human being,” said Barça Residency Academy Technical Director Xavi Bravo. “Competing at a higher level and facing a different type of opposition will be a challenge for our players as well as for our Club, however this challenge that will bring out the best in us”.
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About thhe United Premier Soccer League
The UPSL was formed in 2011 and currently includes more than 300 teams nationwide. The UPSL is the largest Pro Development League in North America. Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated.
UPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the league’s affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).
More information, the UPSL can be found at www.upsl.com or by following the league on Facebook (www.facebook.com/upslsoccer), Instagram (@upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer).
