Walk into YSC Academy and you will notice the school looks and feels different from any other. That is because it was built with the student-athlete in mind. When YSC Academy opened its doors on September 3, 2013 to its first cohort of new students-athletes, it launched a new era in US soccer, integrating elite-youth-soccer development with a college-preparatory education.
YSC Academy provides a special opportunity for these motivated youth to pursue their dreams of playing high-level soccer while simultaneously engaging in a rigorous and high-quality education. Following the European sports-academy model, YSC Academy is the first independent school in the country to fully integrate a college-preparatory education with an MLS-affiliated, elite youth-soccer-development program.
At YSC Academy, athletics and academics are aligned to provide student-athletes the opportunity to maximize their potential both on and off the field of play. Students entering YSC Academy can originate from Philadelphia Union’s amateur-youth-soccer training and competition programs, as well as be recruited nationally or internationally. Student-athletes from the school do not play for a YSC Academy school team, but rather for their local club team or one of Philadelphia Union’s amateur Academy squads (U14, U16 or U18). Some of YSC Academy student-athletes are also US National Team pool players. While the academic workload is comparable to other private schools, the difference centers on the educational approach and physical-education focus.
