Austin FC Announces Expansion of Academy to Five Age Groups With Addition of U-12 and U-17 Teams

Austin, Texas – Austin FC announced today the expansion of the Austin FC Academy to include the U-12 (born in 2010/2011) and U-17 (born in 2005/2006) age groups for the 2021-22 season. With the expansion, the Austin FC Academy now features five (5) age groups -- U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, and U-17. With the addition of the new U-12 team, the current U-13 team will move to U-14, U-14s to U-15, and U-15s to U-17. Full rosters for each age group will be announced later in 2021.

“The addition of the U-12 and U-17 rosters to Austin FC’s Academy is a decisive step in the formation of a comprehensive professional Academy youth soccer system,” commented Tyson Wahl, Austin FC’s Academy General Manager. “We are proud to offer an expanded pathway to professional soccer to the many talented Central Texas players who will compete in our academy system. We are one year closer to realizing our goal of seeing at least one player per season move from Austin FC Academy to the Austin FC first team. This expansion for 2021-2022 will further help us in developing the next generation of elite players from our region.”

“Having five age groups at Austin FC’s Academy in such short time speaks volumes about the level of commitment our Club has to local youth talent,” commented Claudio Reyna, Austin FC’s Sporting Director. “Our goal is to continue forming these talented players and offer them the best opportunity to develop their skills and support their aspirations to become professional soccer players.”

Austin FC Academy is the fully funded development academy that began competition in the Fall of 2019 with the U-14 team participating in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA). It later expanded to include the U-13, U-14, and U-15 teams in 2020 under MLS NEXT.

With the expansion, four (4) of the five (5) Austin FC Academy teams will compete in MLS NEXT, apart from the U-12 team. Major League Soccer (MLS) manages, organizes, and controls the MLS NEXT system of youth soccer, which was launched in 2020 with the goal of transforming elite youth soccer in North America. MLS NEXT players have access to the highest level of competition, training and personal development opportunities that will prepare them for their professional futures. See below the 2021-2022 U-12 and U-13 rosters:

The Austin FC Academy represents the highest level of training and competition for aspiring professional soccer players in Central Texas across Austin, San Antonio, and surrounding cities. The Austin FC Academy trains at St. David’s Performance Center, the Club’s $45 million, privately funded, state-of-the-art training facility located near Parmer Pond in North Austin.