‘National exposure at the highest level.’ Lexington SC picks league for girls’ youth teams.
Concrete plans are beginning to fall into place for Lexington’s professional soccer franchise and its affiliated youth teams.
In March, Lexington’s professional soccer franchise in USL League One — the third tier of professional men’s soccer in North America — was officially branded as Lexington Sporting Club, with the reveal of franchise colors, crest and name.
Now, Lexington Sporting Club has announced its youth team setup for girls’ teams for the 2022-2023 season.
On April 11, it was announced that Lexington Sporting Club is joining the Girls Academy and will field teams in the Under-13 through Under-19 age groups.
LSC girls’ youth teams will compete in the Mid-America Conference, which is one of eight Girls Academy conferences in the United States.
The Girls Academy was founded by former members of the U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy.
For the 2021-2022 season, the Girls Academy featured 80 clubs with teams in the Under-13 through Under-19 age groups. The Girls Academy includes 10,000 players across its member clubs.
League play in the Girls Academy begins in August.
“This is a historic moment for the female players in Lexington,” said Sam Stockley, the sporting director of LSC, in a statement. “The values and philosophy of the (Girls Academy) align with our vision to empower our female players. This platform gives our females national exposure at the highest level, as we know only a small percentage will go on and play professionally.”
By participating in the Girls Academy, LSC players will face high-level competition on the pitch and receive exposure to NCAA and U.S. National Team scouts.
Stockley said the Girls Academy also allows players to also play for their high school teams, if they choose to.
The announcement of LSC joining the Girls Academy comes just three weeks after LSC announced it absorbed the youth soccer programs associated with Lexington F.C. and Commonwealth Soccer Club.
“There’s a tremendous amount of young soccer talent in Central Kentucky,” said Bill Shively, owner of Lexington Sporting Club, when the merger was announced in March. “Our goal is to unify players, parents and coaches to help harness and further develop this talent through our own unique player development program.”
LSC’s pre-professional academy, which will feature ages Under-16 through Under-19, will launch in the fall.
The men’s senior team, which will compete in USL League One, will begin play in April 2023.
An announcement of conference or league affiliation for any LSC boys’ youth teams hasn’t yet been made.
On the club’s website there is a pre-registration option for people interested in the boys’ youth teams.
“It was critical for us to create a holistic pathway for our female players, whether that be professionally, collegiately or playing because they love the game,” Stockley added. “Until now, many of the top players in our region were forced to spend countless hours per week traveling to other cities just for training to have an opportunity to compete at the highest level. They can now stay home, develop as a player and play against the best in the nation.”
Training locations
On April 21, Lexington Sporting Club announced several locations that will be available as youth club training sites for the 2022-23 season.
They include the Kentucky Horse Park, Masterson Station, Lexington Christian Academy and both Tower Hill Sports indoor soccer facilities, all of which are located in Lexington.
Information about field assignments will be provided at a later date.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 1:19 PM.
