Desert Hound
DA
Phoenix Rising FC Launches Professional Development Academy
Fully Funded Pathway to Professional Soccer in Arizona
www.phxrisingfc.com
I was sold pro when my dd 12 and 13. Some of these clowns told me they were looking into special housing camps like they do for the boys. Send your kid away at 13. No thanks. I really hope the Rising stay in ECNL. I like this team. ECNL is already under seige from GDA in SoCal so this would be a big set back. I will say if they left for DA pasture then I would make sure my dd calls in sick for that road trip.@Soccerhelper,
If you read the article, Phoenix Rising FC is a USL team with another affiliated team playing tuscon USL-1 league (all mens teams). They are a professional team working on an MLS application. Currently, their DA is just the entry age groups (no olders) and they don't have non academy teams. Assuming they continue to climb the DA ladder as their players get older (U15, U16, U17/18 ...) then they could have a successful academy program for their USL Champions and USL 1 teams, especially if training and solidarity payments make it to the USL (likely).
There would be absolutely no incentive for a men's USL program to start a girls team. Leave that for the youth clubs/programs or NWSL teams. If at some point, the NWSL expands to Pheonix and Phoenix Rising buys a franchise, then things might be different. But again, the girls path isn't a path from Youth to Pro, its Youth to College to Pro. This means its unlikely for professional clubs to pay much attention to girls academies because there is zero incentive.