Barca Residency Academy is pleased to announce that the club has joined the Elite Academy League (EA) and will begin competition in the upcoming 2022-23 season. Barca Residency Academy’s second tier U15, U16, U17, and U19 teams will compete in the EA Southwest Desert Conference. The Southwest Desert Conference is composed of teams from Arizona, Nevada, and Utah with teams from Colorado also set to join prior to the start of the season.
“We are delighted to be joining the Elite Academy League,” said Barca Residency Academy Director Ged Quinn. “Adding an additional national platform to our current set of programming will provide a tremendous opportunity for all of the players within our academy to showcase and challenge themselves at the next level in a structured club based model.”
Barca Residency Academy’s second tier program, currently known as the “Pre-Academy”, will be renamed the “Elite Academy” at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. Barca Residency Academy will offer U15, U16, U17, and U19 Elite Academy and MLS Next teams in the 2022-23 season. These teams also continue competition in the Arizona Premier League and the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL).
Barca Residency Academy Director of Recruiting and Operations Miha Kline said, “The Elite Academy league provides an excellent new competition platform for all the talented players joining our academy who might not be ready for the top level yet, but have the ability and potential to grow and accelerate their development in our unique residency environment while competing in a growing competitive league.”
Founded in 2020, the Elite Academy’s mission is to provide a national platform with a standards based league giving clubs the ability to provide full developmental model and pathway with top competition and exposure.
The Elite Academy League currently consists of 61 member clubs split into six localized conferences across the United States. The EA features three showcases annually, a winter and spring showcase, and the National Championships/Showcase in the summer.
According to the Elite Academy’s expansion plan, the league’s vision is to expand to 10 conferences in the near future with teams operating in nearly every state across the U.S.
For more information on the Elite Academy League – visit www.eliteacademyleague.com or @eliteacademyleague on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
