Will Scherer, NJ Youth Soccer
New Jersey ODP recently competed in the USYS East Region ODP Tournament that took place in Manheim, Pennsylvania, and Hammonton, New Jersey. At the competition, New Jersey ODP boys and girls teams in the 2007-2012 age groups played against various other ODP State Associations within the 15 Olympic Development Programs in the Eastern Region.
“Players enjoyed experiences within high quality match settings to collaborate and compete with other players committed to taking responsibility for their own development and performance,” said Lou Mignone, NJYS ODP Youth Coaching Director. “Coaches continued to guide players based upon team tactical principles and player actions within the Game Idea for fine tuning performance during attacking, defending and transitional moments with details for position-specific task execution.”
The ODP State Associations that participated in this event were Connecticut, Delaware, Eastern New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York West, Pennsylvania West, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
“The East Region hosted another excellent event,” said James Galanis, NJYS Director of Technical Operations. “The level of the players was very impressive, and the games themselves were contested in a highly spirited manner. This tournament continues to improve and NJODP is already looking forward to next year’s event. Congrats to everyone that made this event possible and to the players and coaches for displaying the quality of ODP in general.”
New Jersey ODP would like to extend its appreciation to US Youth Soccer, who spent countless hours to ensure the event was successful for each of the ODP state associations that attended. Our state association would also like to thank thank the families and players for another incredible ODP season.
The Olympic Development Program is an identification system linked to the United States Soccer Federation and US Youth Soccer. The program offers its players a pathway that could lead to representing Regional and U.S. Youth National Teams. Originally established in 1977, ODP was the first program in the country designed to identify potential youth national team players. ODP players begin initially at the local sector before progressing to the state, regional and possibly national levels. By playing with like-talented athletes, ODP offers the opportunity for players to advance in their personal development and to be scouted by college coaches.
For more information about the New Jersey ODP, please email odp@njyouthsoccer.com. Also, make sure to visit the program online and like the official New Jersey ODP Facebook Page.