Union's youth academy covers soccer and academics

Inside YSC Academy, where one might expect to find a classroom, a replica of Allianz Arena, the home of Bayern Munich, towers over the students as they stroll through the lobby. Emblazoned on each set of lockers is an age-old question that many grown men - let alone high school students - have yet to answer: What do you stand for?

For Philadelphia Union part-owner and YSC Sports founder Rich Graham, who, along with Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz, spearheaded the establishment of what is billed as the nation's first developmental soccer school to be directly affiliated with an MLS club, the answer to that question has little to do with creating a pipeline of talent to PPL Park.

"Intensity, courage, effort, and passion. The same message that [the students] are hearing in the classroom is what they're hearing on the training pitch," Graham said. "The reality of that is that it prepares them for life. Whether they end up being a pro soccer player or not is almost irrelevant."

On Sept. 3, YSC Academy opened its doors in Wayne to 34 students grades eight through 12 and six faculty members. The students are members of the Union's youth soccer development program, which provides year-round training at no cost with coaches licensed by the Union of European Football Associations.

Nooha Ahmed-Lee, the YSC Academy head of school, who most recently served as head of lower and middle schools at the Shipley School after spending time as an administrator at the Philadelphia School, Chestnut Hill, and Penn Charter, said the skills her students obtain on the soccer field will enable them to excel in an academic setting.

"There's a definite correlation between filtering out information, using judgment, and paying attention," Ahmed-Lee said, "whether it's many things coming at you on the field or how you need to manage your time and resources."

Although other MLS clubs have formed partnerships with local schools, never before has an American club trained its youth programs at its own academic institution. YSC Academy was modeled on Graham's alma mater, Burke Mountain Academy, a college preparatory school for elite alpine skiers.

Sakiewicz said that while the Union strongly considered youth development models akin to other MLS clubs, the organization was wary of outside influences that could affect the maturation of the players.

"As we dug into it deeper, we realized we really wouldn't have control of the kids," Sakiewicz said. "We really wouldn't have control of the culture, of the environment. By investing in the school and doing it on our own, from 7:30 in the morning to 6 at night, we would have the ability to influence the environment the kids are in and the Union culture they are developing."

As the Union continue to fight for their playoff lives, Sakiewicz said he has no regrets in investing in the team's long-term development as opposed to adding additional first-team players to the roster. One day, Sakiewicz said, he hopes the Union can boast a starting lineup of primarily homegrown talent.

"It's a different model than going out and buying David Beckham," Sakiewicz said. "It's a much more longer view. In my opinion, when we've studied around the world, clubs that have invested in this have more sustainability."