Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC is proud to partner with the Super Y of United Soccer Leagues (www.sylsoccer.com). Since 2010, the Dutch Lions FC clubs have been playing in USL PRO, USL PDL, USL Women's League, USL Super 20 and USL Super Y. Both organizations have the ambition to provide a "Gateway to professional soccer".
The USL Super Y League has the objective to provide young talented players an experience that is unparalleled in youth soccer. The Super Y League shares the same passion for player development as the Dutch Lions FC clubs and realizes that in order to be an elite club, you must play in an elite league. With the new Regional Scouting Series, partnerships with some of the leaders in youth soccer, experienced and professional staff, advanced player tracking, and offering the chance to compete for a North American Championship, the Super Y League is the best operated youth league in North America, allowing it to stand above the competition.
The Super Y League is for teams in the age groups U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U16 and U18 for Boys and Girls. All games are played between June and August (8-10 games) and finals are annually held in December in Tampa. Besides the league play the Super Y offers several activities for the top players in the league:
- National Player Pool
- USL Experience
- Scouting Series
Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC will be holding tryouts for their Super Y team in January, February and April of 2017. Our team will train 3-4 times a week and will be coached by a UEFA C, B or A licensed coach. The program will be very professionally and commitment needs to be high in order to make a team. The program will run from mid May to the middle of August 2017 with possible finals in December. More information about try-outs, the actual starting dates as well as fees will be announced soon. All training sessions and games will take place in North Fort Myers Community Park.
In case you have any questions please contact Vincent de Weger through v.deweger@fgcdlfc.com.
USL Super Y activities for top players:
National Player Pool
The Super Y League National Player Pool is comprised of the most elite players participating in the Super Y League. The path to be recognized and invited into the National Pool begins with identification during matches in the Super Y League season, through the ID Player Tracking Program. Once identified as a top performer for their Super Y League team, the top 10% of Super Y League players are invited to attend the Regional Scouting Series event in their region.
Throughout the three-day Regional Scouting Series event, players are evaluated by the Super Y League Regional Scouting Staff and college coaches from the area. The players who excel at these events are selected to participate in an All-Star game or placed directly into the Super Y League National Pool. 80% of players in the National Pool are identified at the Regional Scouting Series, while the remaining 20% of National Pool players are identified during the Super Y League North American Finals.
Players in the Super Y League National Pool continue to be monitored throughout their club seasons for the opportunity to be chosen for the USL Experience, which recognizes those individuals as being in the top 1% of Super Y League players.
The US Technical Championship (USTC) serves as the National Platform for Super Y League Players ages under-10 through under-12. These players travel through the same Elite Player Pathway (seen above), where they compete in the Rene Meulensteen Technical Testing at the Regional Scouting Series. They are selected into the USTC National Player Pool, making them eligable to be invited to compete at the USTC.
The US Technical Championship is a unique opportunity to further develop and motivate young aspiring players to focus on the importance and power of skill and how it combines with confidence and creativity. Players are encouraged to apply confidence and creativity when using skills in one-v-one situations. Through activities and small-sided games, players are identified as being elite among their peers and are invited to the National Championship Event. Technical Championship competitions have been held in Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, and now for the second year in the USA and Canada.
USL Experience
At the USL, they believe the time for youth players to dream about playing professional soccer for an American based club is now. They aspire to drive interest in the North American professional game by creating a more direct connection for the American youth player and the domestic, professional game of soccer. Unlike any other elite youth player program in the US, the USL Experience is the first of its kind and will ignite a new level of passion for professional soccer across North America. On the heels of the inaugural USL Experience in Cincinnati in 2016 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IXdetGZxyI), the Super Y League has announced that San Antonio FC will host the anticipated second edition in April of 2017.
A comprehensive experience for the top one percent of the league, Super Y League players compete against some of the highest level youth competition in the country during the USL Experience. This multi-day residential experience follows a professional training format and delivers an exclusive and unprecedented look into professional American soccer.
Scouting Series
The Super Y League offers additional programming to the league’s top performers closer to home. In conjunction with league partners, the SYL offers a unique and comprehensive soccer event series for the league’s top players: The SYL Regional Scouting Series. The SYL Regional Scouting Series provides elite SYL players a platform to showcase their individual abilities for college coaches in their region or qualify for a US Technical Championship. These events aim to enhance development off the field with unique and holistic programming exclusively for SYL players and parents through league partners. This professionalized scouting process will help promote and identify top SYL prospects for regional and national programs.
By attending the SYL Regional Scouting Series events, each elite SYL player has the opportunity to be called into a national pool where, if selected, they will be given the chance to participate in the USL Experience. The USL Experience will provide an unprecedented look into professional American soccer designed for the nation’s elite players who dream of advancing through the professional player pathway.
The try-out dates (and what age groups) for the 2019 season will be announced in the beginning of 2019. Players interested in joining the Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC USL Super Y teams can register for the try-outs here.