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What is the Olympic Development Program?
How do I know if my child is ready to compete on an ODP team?

ODP stands for Olympic Development Program. This program is designed to identify elite players in the U.S. and to train them for potential play with one of the youth national squads. These teams are usually made up at the state or regional level, depending on the number of players in specific youth groups in particular areas. ODP players then compete against other ODP teams from within their same state or from other states.

There are also ODP Cups (tournaments) that garner increased national recognition. From these ODP teams, a U.S. National Team will be selected for various age groups (U-13, U-15, U-17, etc.). ODP teams offer a high level of training and competition for elite and talented U.S. players.

Administrators of ODP hope to increase the level of play in the United States through these programs, to enhance coaching techniques and administrative duties through a streamlined system, and to expose as many U.S. players as possible to a potential playing opportunity at the national or international level.

Most ODP-level players are identified early on by coaches and ODP scouts at state or regional tournaments. If you feel that your child has the potential to compete for an ODP squad and he or she meets certain age requirements, you may bring him to an ODP try-out. A player can only try-out for one ODP squad (one state association) at a time.

Players are selected, in most states, on the basis of open tryouts run by state association coaches. Some coaches will extend invitations to certain players to the ODP tryouts; others will simply wait for the open tryout. The state association head coach or state coach will, in most cases, be assisted in the selection process by several other qualified coaches from the club or league level. Players are evaluated on four components:
Technique
Tactics
Fitness and athletic ability

Psychological component (attitude) Participation on an ODP squad means that the player will have access to regional and national camps, which will expose him or her to top-level coaching and competition. At these camps, youth national coaches will select players to try-out for the national teams. Additionally, many college coaches use regional and national camps in their own recruiting processes.

Playing for an ODP squad is a commitment to the game of soccer involving time, resources, and money. A player must be prepared to act like an adult on and off the field while participating on an ODP team. For more information on ODP tryouts and teams, contact your state association. If you do not know your state association's telephone number, simply call 1-800-4SOCCER and the U.S. Youth Soccer National Office will be happy to provide you with that number.

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