In April of 2016, San Antonio FC launched the SAFC Pro Academy presented by Ricos – a youth development program for the area’s elite boys players which started with a 2004 birth-year team this season. The academy has expanded to five teams at the U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-19 levels. The academy teams compete in the ECNL, ECNL-RL, STX-RL, USL Academy U20, UPSL Premiere, UPSL Div I, and USL League Two.
In 2018-19, The Ricos SAFC Pro Academy coaching staff was named the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) Central Conference Boys Coaching Staff of the Year. SAFC was honored alongside NYCFC and LAFC of Major League Soccer
In February of 2019, San Antonio FC signed its first full-time academy product to a first-year contract when midfielder Leo Torres signed a professional deal.
The objective of the San Antonio FC Development Academy program is to identify and train the best players in the San Antonio market on a pathway to become a homegrown player for the SAFC professional team, national teams, and/or opportunities in college soccer. In addition to developing skilled and dynamic soccer players, key components of the program include each player displaying excellent personal character, becoming actively involved in community activities, and focusing on academic performance. The Ricos SAFC Pro Academy is structured to be a collaborative initiative between all local youth clubs and organizations in the San Antonio community by the opportunity to be an active part of the player identification process, as well as providing recognition and benefits to such participating clubs.
This program is part of the professional club’s strategic plan of establishing a nationally respected youth academy and is currently led by Academy Director Juan Lamadrid.
OUR WHY
Since 2016, The Ricos San Antonio FC Pro Academy was built with a clear belief:
Every city deserves a true pathway for its young players.
For too long, talented players in San Antonio believed that the road to higher levels of the game existed somewhere else, another state, another academy, another opportunity outside our city.
We created the SAFC Pro Academy to change that.
Our WHY is to inspire players to become the best version of themselves on and off the field while creating a real and visible pathway from youth development to the collegiate and professional game.
This is not simply about producing soccer players.
It is about building people, opportunity, and identity through the game.
OUR HOW
We built our academy on a clear structure that guides everything we do.
Our vision is long term:
To inspire our players to be the best version of themselves and to prepare academy players for the San Antonio FC First Team and collegiate soccer.
Our mission is ongoing:
To provide opportunities for the complete development of our players both as players and as people.
This is achieved through clear and measurable objectives:
• Becoming a model academy in the country
• Demanding the highest standards of academic and athletic performance
• Developing players capable of reaching youth national teams, college programs, and the professional level
• Supporting every player to maximize their individual potential
• Creating leaders who positively impact their communities
RICOS SAFC PRO ACADEMY STAFF
