Soccer News: Knoxville Soccer Academy Joins Super-20 League

Club will be based out of Johnny Long Training Facility

The USL Super-20 League announced on Thursday, February 2, that the Knoxville Soccer Academy will join the league for the upcoming 2012 season. The Knoxville, Tennessee-based club will field both a men’s and women’s team in the Super-20 League. The club will play and train out of the Johnny Long Training Facility in Knoxville.

“We feel the USL Super-20 League is a perfect fit at the moment as we develop our players and academy over the coming years,” Josh Scott, Knoxville Soccer Academy Assistant Academy Director and Super-20 men’s coach, said. “Entering into an established league like Super-20 is the first step for our academy with the hope to expand this throughout the ranks of the academy with professionalism and strong emphasis on player development.”

The club also announced its remaining coaching staff for the 2012 season. Derek Broadley will be the club’s Academy Director and Director of Coaching and Richard Moodie will coach the Super-20 women’s team.

Broadley brings a wealth of experience to Knoxville, as a former academy director of Crystal Palace Football Club. Derek was also previously the technical director of the Bermuda Football Association (BFA), where he introduced an international training academy for the BFA.

Scott, a former collegiate head coach and assistant coach, has a proven history of placing English and American players at some of the top universities throughout NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA.

“We’re looking to establish a European style academy here in Knoxville,” Scott said. “Obviously it’s important to have high-level games that supplement our coaching syllabus that has been put in place throughout the academy. We are hoping for the Super-20 League to provide us with a good environment of player development where players can improve their skills and develop in a regional league.”

Tryouts for the teams will be held on February 5 and 12 with women’s tryouts running 9-11 a.m. and men’s tryouts from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. More information can be found by visiting www.knoxvillesocceracademy.com.

Super-20 League: As the longest standing and most sophisticated U20 men’s and women’s North American amateur league, the Super-20 League provides the platform for top 17- to 20-year-olds in the United States and Canada to compete at the elite level. While serving as a reserve team system for many W-League and PDL teams, the USL Super-20 League features teams competing in regional divisions, consisting of 8-10 regular season matches throughout the summer months.

United Soccer Leagues: United Soccer Leagues has become the largest organization of elite-level soccer leagues in North America by building on the vision, commitment, and passion of players, fans and investors. Now in its third decade of operation, USL continues to be a driving force in the growth of soccer in the United States, Canada and Caribbean. USL provides a clearly defined path for the progression of male and female soccer players beginning at the youth level (USL Super Y-League/USL Super-20 League), continuing through the amateur level (USL Premier Development League/USL W-League) and up to the professional level, both outdoor and indoor (USL PRO, MISL). A platform for countless players to reach for their dreams each year, USL is devoted to developing the sport at the grassroots level in every community across the region.

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