The announcement came last month, but Sunday night it all became official.  At a special meeting of the Florida Soccer Alliance, the members voted unanimously to merge with Orlando City to become Orlando City Youth Soccer and to appoint a new Board of Directors. Orlando City is now the only club in Central Florida with a fully developed pyramid that stretches from U5 to Pro. The new model brings the time-tested European system of player development to Orlando and establishes a solid foundation for the Orlando City Lions that will grow for years to come.
 
There will also be a new web site, www.orlandocityyouth.com.  The site will launch in the coming weeks and will be a complete redesign of the FSA site, bringing it in line with the design of the Orlando City pro site.
 
Leading the new Orlando City Youth Soccer Club is Executive Director, Brian Pederson.  Pederson is already well-known to the soccer moms and dads of Central Florida thanks to his previous position as Director of Camps and Clinics.  Brian will oversee all aspects of the youth club, from day-to-day management to the new club structure.
 
“It is our dream to see young players from the Central Florida area coming through our development system and go on to play at College and even in the Pro ranks” Said Brian Pederson, Executive Director.
 
Registration for Orlando City’s first youth programs is already underway.  The Junior Academy Program, ages U5 to U10, kicks off on Feb. 22.  The deadline for registration is Feb. 18.  Children who have already registered for the same program under the old FSA banner do not need to re-register.  Contact registrar Tanya Neidert at (407) 321-5264 with questions or to register.