Overview
Introduced in the 2019/20 Montana Development Program season, Montana Youth Soccer is introducing two sub-programs to MDP. The introduction of these sub-programs is meant to improve MDP by providing players with more effective and pertinent soccer opportunities based on their age and level.
Birth Years: The MDP Senior Academy will be available for players born 2002 through 2005. *Interested 2006 Birth Year Sophomores can contact Katja Andrew for Information.
Structure: The Seniors will be structured differently from the Juniors. Beyond just focusing on player development, the program will provide players with increased soccer opportunities outside of Montana. Teams will attend showcase events throughout the West in an effort to increase their exposure to college coaches and chances to play beyond youth soccer, all alongside the best players from Montana.
Placement: Players will be notified if they made the final team after the Tryout events are complete.
Tryouts
Senior Academy Identification is scheduled for August 8-9 in Helena.
Saturday, August 8 ID: These sessions will be by invite only for 2002-2005 players. Invites will be based on recommendation of Montana Youth Soccer member clubs. Session #1 - 1-2:30pm, Session #2 - 4-5:30pm.
Sunday, August 9 ID: These sessions will be an open event for all 2002-2005 players from across the state that are interested in being part of the program. An invite is not needed to attend. Session #1 - 10-11:30am, Session #2 - 1-2:30pm.
At the conclusion of the ID process, players will be selected to participate on the final Senior Academy Team for each age group. Not all players are guaranteed a spot on the team, which will be based on their evaluation(s).
Season Schedule
The MDP Senior Academy schedule will not start until the conclusion of the high school soccer season. Training will begin in early November, and on average, the MDP Seniors will train once a month through March. Between December and February, and depending on the availability of each Senior team, MDP will aim to send teams to one out-of-state event (at most) each month.