Delaware Futbol Academy opening doors for youth soccer players

Soccer was once the fastest-growing sport in America, but participation has dwindled slowly each year. Some close to the game believe the pay-to-play model has hindered the reach of the world’s most popular game.

R.J. Dina, head coach of the Sussex Academy boys’ soccer team, and fellow soccer enthusiast Josh Tucker have launched a new youth soccer club in central and southern Delaware. Established this year, Delaware Futbol Academy is the result of a desire to grow and teach the game to as many players as possible. 

“We formed our own nonprofit organization, Route 1 Sports, to run our own summer camps, branching out to different areas for camp. Our biggest focus is going to be community outreach,” Dina said.

Dina, the club’s technical director, said club organizers are aware they are in an area that may not be able to afford costs.

“This pay-to-play model has completely damaged the talent pool that could be down here,” Dina said.

He said in his travels, he has seen a tremendous amount of hidden talent. Dina noted that soccer in the United States is not cheap right now, and in Delaware, kids might live too far away for a regular commute to places like DE Turf complex in Frederica. DFA is hoping to remove financial and travel barriers for those wanting to compete.

“What we wanted to be able to do was provide an opportunity for every kid to have a chance to play. Forming the nonprofit organization has allowed us to go to different businesses, bring in corporate sponsorships and access money that could help pay for some of these kids to play,” Dina said.

This summer, DFA offered a college ID camp with 12 collegiate coaches in attendance. Dina said they were able to cover the cost of the camp for a few of the kids in need of financial assistance.

“That was significant, for us to be able to provide an opportunity for some of these kids that wouldn’t have an opportunity any other way,” Dina said.

In addition to the fields at DE Turf, training is held at Sussex Academy, allowing the club to expand even more. Dina said they had 530 kids try out for the club and could only keep just over half of them. Kids from as far north as Middletown and as far south as Delmar tried out.

“We have to bridge the gap between opportunity and ability. That has been one of the top principles that we’ve built this organization on,” Tucker said.

The goal is to make training more accessible for everyone, and Dina said he wants families that have to travel for training to only go a short distance. The same works for games in the lower levels, as DFA schedules all games for the younger age groups within a two-hour travel radius. Older teams are scheduled with the most appropriate opponents for their skill level and could travel beyond the two-hour radius.

In addition to travel barriers, DFA is attempting to break down financial obstacles some players may have.

“We don’t want the dollar amount to be a reason players choose not to go to or play for our club. Those that can’t afford it, we have a conversation with them. We’ve provided close to $20,000 in scholarships for those kids to play for free,” Dina said.

DFA costs $1,200 per year in club member dues and about $230 more for the required training and game-day kits. Dina said club leadership has honest conversations with parents to discover how much they can afford. 

“No child has been turned away due to financial constrictions here, and that will never happen as long as we are running the organization,” Tucker said.

DFA features youth programs for kids in the 5-6 age range and has teams competing at each age level all the way up to 18. The youngest players begin in the pre-academy, where there is a focus on developing the player’s soccer IQ and terminology. As teams age, Dina finds the appropriate level of competition for the team to face during the current season.

“There’s a couple of kids in our club that can flat-out play at the Division I level, and I don’t think they would ever have had the opportunity to even be recognized on that scale,” Dina said

The club will host a fall ID session Monday, Nov. 13, for players wanting to join DFA. The club will also host a camp on Black Friday, Nov. 24, at Fifer Middle School in Camden. DFA’s season runs August through June.  

Anyone interested in joining DFA can learn more at route1sports.org.