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Penn FC Pro, Penn FC Youth and PA Classics are partnering together to support the US Soccer Development Academy for both Male and Female players. This partnership will begin for the 2018 / 2019 league play that begins the Fall 2018. The US Soccer Development Academy is the highest level of soccer programming available for the youth in the United States. For more information on the Development Academy please visit http://www.ussoccerda.com/home.php Penn FC and PA Classics are committed to supporting and promoting the Development Academy. Given that Central Pennsylvania has access to the Development Academy is a great opportunity for both Male and Female players in the region. Beginning the Fall of 2018 the Development Academy teams will play under the name Penn FC / PA Classics. This partnership will allow for training opportunities in both the Lancaster and Harrisburg areas. The partnership will provide additional access to families of the Harrisburg area than previously offered while providing Penn FC / PA Classics Academy players direct access to the Penn FC Pro team which sits at the top of the developmental pyramid of youth soccer in the United States. "Partnering with both Penn FC Youth and Penn FC pro is going to be great for our Academy players. Working with Penn FC Youth is going to provide more access for the Academy to players in the Harrisburg area, which will raise the level for all involved. The addition of Quality staffing and facilities will also improve the overall Academy experience, and for the Academy Players to have that direct link to the Pro Team will be another step forward for youth development in Central PA.” -Steve Klein, Penn FC / PA Classics Academy Director "We are excited to partner with PA Classics. This partnership will give players in the Harrisburg area a direct link to the Development Academy and the pro team." -Bill Becher, Penn FC Youth Director of Coaching "We are pleased to be adding PA Classics as a partner to Penn FC and the Developmental Academy to the youth system. They've built a Quality DA system in the Lancaster area, and now partnering with Penn FC, the future is bright for youth soccer in Central PA." -Tim Schulz, Penn FC GM For more information on the Penn FC / PA Classics Development Academy, please contact Academy Director Steve Klein at [email protected] Beginning with the 2018 playing year, Penn FC and Penn FC Youth will partner with the US Soccer Development Academy program at PA Classics. This partnership will provide a pathway to the US Soccer Development Academy for players at Penn FC Youth should they wish to pursue it. The Development Academy teams at PA Classics will be known as Penn FC / PA Classics moving forward from the beginning of August 2018. The collaboration between the clubs will complete the wide array of soccer experiences Penn FC Youth can provide to its players. In addition to the highly competitive teams the club already fields across all age groups, Penn FC Youth players will gain direct access to the Development Academy teams without having to leave Penn FC Youth for another club. How does the relationship work for the Penn FC Youth club? At the Development Academy level, Penn FC Youth and Penn FC Classics will essentially be two parts of the same club. At all levels below the Development Academy, the organizations will remain separate and essentially the same as they currently exist. • Penn FC Youth players seeking the Development Academy experience will be able to be evaluated for consideration for the Penn FC / PA Classics academy teams through our staff and later by the appropriate members of the Development Academy staff. After evaluation, interested players may be offered the opportunity to train with the Development Academy teams or to be considered immediately for open roster positions. • Penn FC Youth coaches will also be able to identify and refer players who display the appropriate level for either open roster positions or additional training in the Development Academy pool. • Penn FC Youth coaches may be involved in working with the Development Academy teams or pools. What is the Development Academy, and how will we know if it’s right for our son or daughter? US Soccer’s Development Academy program is a year-round soccer program intended to provide players with regular, competitive league play with less emphasis on tournaments. The program provides a high level of competition, and teams travel regionally to compete in league games. Players in the Development Academy teams opt out of high school soccer and are prohibited from guest playing with other clubs or programs. If a Penn FC Youth player is offered a spot in the Development Academy team in his or her age group, our staff will meet with the player and family to discuss details of the commitment, benefits, and sacrifices associated with this pathway with the goal of helping the family make an informed decision about their player’s ongoing development. How will this partnership affect current Penn FC Youth teams? We feel that working cooperatively in this partnership will benefit Penn FC Youth teams in two ways: 1. We will be able to provide our players with opportunities at every level of the game from recreational soccer to the professional level without their having to leave the club to seek opportunity elsewhere. Players will be able to find their best pathway to the next level as a Penn FC Youth player. 2. The Development Academy teams will tend to have a limited number of spots available in each age group from year-to-year. Players seeking an opportunity or referred for one by our staff will still have their work cut out in terms of earning an offer. At the point a player is offered a spot, the family and player will need to agree the “fit” is right for them. Players who are not offered spots or who decline offers will remain with our teams to continue their development. Those players will still have access to training with the Development Academy Teams as deemed appropriate by the relevant coaching staff members. Players WILL NOT NEED TO MOVE BETWEEN CLUBS to pursue an Academy spot. Rather, they can remain in their Penn FC Youth team to continue their development while receiving ongoing evaluation and guidance. Some other clubs have attempted partnerships similar to this one, and some of the outcomes have been perceived as negative. What makes our situation different? Most people’s immediate reaction to an announcement of cooperation between clubs is to fear for the future of their son or daughter’s current team. They fear a mass exodus of players by one means or another, leaving the team unrecognizable in the next playing year. While some players will take advantage of the opportunity with the DA teams if it is offered, we do not anticipate a mass exodus of players to the Development Academy teams. Club wide, we would reasonably expect to see a handful of players be offered and accept spots on the Development Academy teams in a given year. Some teams may see one or two players leave. This is no different from the normal turnover we would expect to see in any team from year-to-year. We may actually see a net result of more players staying in the club rather than moving away to be pool players 40 minutes away in Lancaster. With respect to the Club’s stability, Penn FC Youth is uniQue among the clubs who have attempted this type of collaboration. • We have access to our own set of quality facilities. We have established playing and training facilities with firm relationships in place and the potential to develop additional facilities with the backing of Penn FC’s professional team and the Capelli Sports Group. • We have a deep, healthy, and stable talent pool in our club. Penn FC Youth and PA Classics are two of the largest and most stable youth soccer organizations in Central PA and in EPYSA. We are reasonably large club with talented players and competitive teams. • Our coaching staff is one of the top in the state. We have a deep, stable staff of Quality coaches at the core of our success. The experience they provide has attracted players from all over central PA, and it will continue to do so. • Club leadership will remain in place. We will not allow another party to represent the interests of Penn FC Youth and its players. The LDC United board members have proved successful stewards of the club’s interests both on and off the field. Penn FC Youth’s board and Director will remain in place and will continue to make independent decisions in the best interest of our teams, families, and players. Other clubs who have been perceived to struggle in these collaborations have lacked most or all of these core qualities that provide a stable level of success to organizations. Visit http://www.pennfcyouth.com for more information. Current Penn FC Youth players, that are interested, should contact Bill Becher at [email protected] .

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