In early 2023 New York Red Bulls announced a watershed moment in the evolution of their Player Development pathway, by confirming that the U11 Pre-Academy age group would no longer be subject to tuition fees. By removing the pay-to-play model for the top players in this age group, RBNY elevated its youth platform to unprecedented levels of professionalism.
Fast forward one year and the club has doubled down on its commitment to offering cost-free programming to the Academy players of the future, by confirming that the U10 age group would also become free of registration fees from the fall of 2024 onwards. In aligning the two age groups, New York Red Bulls now have an entirely cost-free Pre-Academy system at the U10 & U11 levels, thus enhancing what is already commonly considered to be one of the most competitive performance environments in the nation for this age.
Red Bulls Pre-Academy has a long history of identifying and developing players for Red Bulls Academy, accounting for over 95% of U12 players recruited to this platform since its inception in 2015. In turn, as one of the most highly regarded Academy programs in the nation, Red Bulls Academy has helped to nurture young talents such as USMNT captain, Tyler Adams, as well as current first-team stand-outs John Tolkin and Daniel Edelman.
“By removing all tuition fees associated with participation in the program, we are effectively removing what has historically been one of the most significant barriers to entry,” says Pre-Academy Manager, Gareth Tyack. He continues “Offering Pre-Academy opportunities to talented young players irrespective of their means ensures we can continue to recruit some of the most promising players in the region, therefore raising the level of competition for all our players.”
Says Director of Youth Player & Coach Development, Simon Barrow, “Since we launched the Pre-Academy back in 2015 with the 2005 age group, it’s long been our dream to establish a fully-funded program. This has been our North Star for almost a decade now.” He adds “Many of our earlier recruits have since gone on to sign professional contracts across MLS, so we fully expect this new development to amplify our player development infrastructure further and are excited to see what the future holds.”
Red Bulls Pre-Academy will be hosting a range of player identification events over the coming months, searching for the tri-state area’s most promising rising U10 & U11 talents.
To find an opportunity near you, visit: https://www.newyorkredbulls.com/youth/pre-academy/
