

Force is the only club that has both accreditations. The top youngsters at Barcelona Bay Area also now have seamless access to both the elite Development Academy (for boys) and EGSL/ECNL (for girls). In addition to the combined teams there will also be a new Force South to continue to offer quality programs in the southern parts of San Jose to Gilroy. Access to scarce quality practice and game fields should also now be better for the combined entity.

This combined entity should have stronger teams than each can field alone because the catchment area is now larger and more financial resources to invest in the continued growth of the combined club. With the changes in our Bay Area soccer club landscape, including the expansion of the Earthquakes academy to the youngest age groups, it makes sense for these two strong clubs to merge to provide more opportunities for youngsters in a stronger combined entity. This club’s growth was rapid and came with considerable success. My understanding is that there are still some growing pains for the younger age groups, but it is likely that the Earthquakes will clean this up over time.ĭe Anza Force merges with Barcelona Bay Areaīarcelona Bay Area created strong boys and girls teams these last four years or so by focusing on the South San Jose to Gilroy area. Locations of clubs are chosen to achieve a good geographic coverage across the region, which includes Sacramento. This affiliate program appears to be primarily a player identification system. In addition, the Quakes expanded their affiliates program to the following clubs: East Valley FC Turlock, West Coast FC Livermore, Ethos FC Sacramento, San Mateo County Star, San Francisco Elite, San Jose FC (aka Central Valley YSL), Diablo FC East Bay. Earthquakes Elite Player Development teams – recreational teams for ages 4-11.Earthquakes Academy teams (U14, U16, U18 – USSDA).Earthquakes Under-23 team (Premier Development League).Earthquakes professional team (Major League Soccer).This post is an attempt to summarize at least some of that activity. There are more changes to come no doubt.Įxpanded their teams all the way down to U5. The Earthquakes Player Development system now consist of five levels: Clubs have merged, affiliated, and franchised. These last eighteen months have seen considerable changes in our Bay Area youth soccer landscape.
