Soccer clubs plan to deepen pathway from youth to pro soccer in the Upstate
Greenville, SC (March 30, 2022) – The Greenville Triumph Soccer Club and Carolina Elite Soccer Academy have announced a multiyear partnership to expand and foster the growth of youth soccer in the Upstate, the clubs announced today. CESA, the most successful youth soccer academy in South Carolina, is home to 3700+members. CESA was formed in 2004 and has established a comprehensive youth program for players ranging in age from 4-19.
“As our Club continues to evolve and grow, it is imperative that we work to continue to help grow the game and enhance the playing experience of young players in the Upstate,” said Greenville Triumph president, Chris Lewis. “Working closely with a youth club that is as established and well-known as CESA will be vitally important as we continue to build out our youth platforms and create opportunities that can serve as a pathway to the pro ranks for both boys and girls playing in the Upstate.”
CESA is a founding member of the prestigious Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). The ECNL is widely recognized as the top platform for club competition and player development in the country. CESA’s ECNL and Elite Clubs Regional League (ECRL) programs are comprised of 24 teams in total. The CESA Triumph ECNL and ECRL Boys teams will feature both the CESA and Triumph logos on their uniforms, while the CESA Liberty ECNL and ECRL Girls teams will feature the CESA and Liberty logos on their uniforms.
The Greenville Triumph men’s professional team and the newly named Greenville Liberty pre-professional women’s team will carry current and former players from the CESA program. Ahead of this week’s start to the USL League One season, the Greenville Triumph signed academy contracts with two CESA ECNL players- TL Hanna’s Patrick Cayelli and Eastside’s Selvin Altamirano. The Greenville Liberty has signed 18 current or former CESA players including Carly Thatcher, Dubem Dike and Sarah Jacobs.
Triumph SC and CESA will also work together to identify and develop talent for USL Academy events, including the 2022 USL Academy Cup this month in Tampa, Florida. This week, Greenville Triumph will be taking two youth teams, the U13 Boys and the U19 Girls Senior Team, made up of CESA players and other players from neighboring clubs within the Upstate.
” CESA and The Greenville Triumph are committed to working together to provide opportunities for all youth soccer players in the Upstate,” said CESA co-executive director Andrew Hyslop. “This collaboration makes sense for both clubs as we want to give young and ambitious male and female players a clear vision of just where the game can take them. In addition, our club membership at all ages and levels of play will benefit from the chance to interact with The Greenville Triumph and Liberty players and staff at our own CESA facilities.”
This cooperative relationship will build bridges to establish training facilities, player access and development for coaches and youth players in the Upstate. These initiatives all support the Greenville Triumph’s ‘pathway to pro’ mission. The Greenville Triumph will also sponsor the new Turf Field # 1 at the MeSA Soccer Complex, which is set to open later this spring.
Fans can follow along with the organizations on the USL Academy’s twitter page, @USL_Academy, @GVLTriumph, @cesa_official, and @cesa_ecnl.
