LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lexington Sporting Club is pleased to announce it will be part of the National Academy League (NAL), an elite youth boys platform launching this upcoming fall.
“This is an exciting platform to add to the boy’s program,” said Warren Goodhind, Lexington’s Boys Technical Director. “The NAL will allow a greater depth of competition and development while giving excellent college exposure to our players. We continue to evolve and create pathways for our athletes to gain first-class opportunities for development and progression, which is a core value to everything we do.”
An organization member of USYS and US Soccer, NAL will feature six conferences and more than 65 clubs, and has leagues ranging from U13 to U19.
The National Academy League’s initial membership spans from the Northeast down to the Southeast, with the founding contingent largely made up of current MLS NEXT member clubs who are not the official academies of Major League Soccer (MLS) organizations.
Several high profile clubs listed as founding members include Players Development Academy (PDA), IMG Academy, Tampa Bay United and New England FC (NEFC).
Select Lexington SC teams will compete in the Mid-America Conference, facing clubs from nearby markets such as Louisville, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
Participation in the NAL allows players to still compete with their respective high school teams, while providing a platform that puts them in front of more college coaches.
Lexington SC still intends for its teams to compete in the Kentucky Premier League, as well.
More information about the NAL can be found here.
About Lexington Sporting Club
Lexington Sporting Club is a U.S. Soccer professional soccer club competing in USL League One (U.S. Soccer third division men’s professional soccer), and in USL Super League (women’s professional soccer launching in 2024). The two professional teams are the pinnacle of the soccer ecosystem in Lexington that features more than 1,400 players within its youth and academy systems. Lexington SC in the process of building the club’s formal stadium, performance center and training fields.