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In September of 1998 the Players Development
Academy was born as a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization
through a collaboration between Tom Anderson (President) and Sam Nellins (Director of Operations). A long-term lease on ten acres
of land was secured from The Pillar of Fire in Zarephath,
New Jersey, laying the groundwork for the area's first "soccer only"
training facility. Plans commenced for two of the initial PDA
programs; the PDA Urban Academy and the PDA Soccer Club.
The PDA Urban
Academy
The Urban Academy was created in the spring of
1999 through a partnership with Mike Blackwell, the Recreation
Director of the City of New Brunswick. This program offers children
in nearby urban communities the opportunity to learn and develop
soccer skills, and to compete in organized soccer
leagues, with all fees underwritten by the PDA. Youth players from
the Soccer in the Streets and Ace Program in New Brunswick were
selected to participate on the first two teams of U11 boys and
U11 girls. Since 1999, the PDA Urban Academy has added six more teams,
for a total of 124 children, now competing on eight teams in the Mid-New Jersey Youth
Soccer League (2 U9, 2 U10, 2 U11, 2 U14).
For more information on the New Brunswick Recreation
Department see
http://www.nbrec.com
PDA Soccer Club
The PDA Soccer
Club is a year-round professional soccer training program designed to develop
players to their greatest potential, focusing on top-quality instruction and
exposure to the highest levels of competition.
The PDA
Soccer Club was formed in September of 1998 with the introduction of
the PDA Counties United team (U18 women). By the summer of 1999,
four premier teams for high school age groups were added: PDA Platini and PDA Vialli (U15
boys), PDA Splash (U16 girls), and PDA Dalglish (U16 boys). A summer
program for two PDA women's teams, Splash U19 and Splash U20, was
also established.
After a very successful first year, the PDA
Soccer Club expanded in the summer of 2000, adding eight new teams for
boys and girls. The Soccer Club had grown to15 teams,
with age groups ranging from U11 to U23. By the end of the 2000/2001
season, the Players Development Academy was a nationally recognized
soccer club, with 5 state championship teams, 4 regional champions,
and a national champion.
During the summer of 2001 the PDA Soccer Club
added five new teams, bringing the total to 19 teams, with a boys and
a girls team in every age group from U11 through U18, and
two women's teams in age groups U20 and U23. These teams play in
premier
leagues throughout the middle Atlantic and northeastern states,
and participate in highly competitive tournaments nationwide. Annual
tryouts are held in May and June.
The Club continued to expand its program in 2002, with the addition
of a boys and a girls team in the U10 age group. The U10 teams focus
on skills and development, building a foundation for competitive
play in the older age groups. The PDA Soccer Club now includes 22
teams.
The PDA Soccer Club's commitment to training and
competition has enabled many of its players to achieve continued
success as student athletes in some of the country's top collegiate
soccer programs. (Please see PDA College
Players - Men and
Women)
The PDA offers a scholarship fund to players in need
of financial aid for participation on the Soccer Club teams. This
fund has been generously donated by individuals and corporations.
For more information, please email:
Scholarship
Fund.
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