Alabama’s Olympic Development Program aims to identify and provide opportunities for high potential players, facilitate their development, and expose them to the next level in their pathway.
Alabama ODP has a rich tradition of players progressing to play at the Regional and National ODP levels, collegiate programs, professional clubs, and the US National Team!
ODP Information
24/25 Season Birth Years: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008
Players first must register for the ODP Program – see the RED PROGRAM REGISTRATION button above. This must be completed each seasonal year (August – July). Once we approve the registration, move to step 2.
Register for & attend an Alabama ODP ID & Training Center for assessment to make the Alabama ODP Age Group Pool. You can find the schedule here. Players are evaluated on the Alabama ODP Player Assessment & Criteria.
- Following your first event, players who make the pool will receive an email invitation to attend future ID & Training Centers & order their ODP Training & Match Uniforms.
- Once a player has been selected for their Age Group Pool, they remain in the pool for the duration of their youth soccer experience – they do not have to tryout again each year (But do need to register for the program).
- Players not selected to join their respective Age Group Pool will be directed back to their club for training via email. These players are encouraged to continue working on their game in their home environment for several months before attempting to try-out for ODP again.
After making the Pool for your respective age group, we encourage you to attend as many ID & Training Centers as you can. We recommend a minimum of three per seasonal year so we can establish an accurate assessment of a player’s performance and map their trajectory over time.
What happens at the ID & Training Center?
Each one has 3 sessions:
SESSION #1: Training Session – Coaches teach the criteria we assess
SESSION #2: Scrimmage Games – Coaches assess players
SESSION #3: Training then Scrimmage Games – Coaches teach then assess
*Players are encouraged to attend all 3 sessions but can attend fewer if their schedule demands.
The schedule is subject to change.
Costs Associated with Participation – Click here
For the scholarship application, click here
Players participating in ODP have the opportunity to:
- Be invited to represent Alabama ODP on State Teams at South Region events
- Earn selection to the South Region ODP ID Camp
- Be scouted by college coaches & professional clubs from MLS, US National Team Scouts
- Work with some of the top coaches in our state–including college coaches
Alabama ODP Pool Players are encouraged to attend as many ID & Training Centers as possible so coaches can guide and track player development and compete for selection to:
- State Team events: (Memphis Inter-Regionals – Feb.)
- South Intra-Regional Scouting Combine – June
- South Region ID Camp – July
Players warranting invitation to the South Region ODP ID Camp receive invitations from US Youth Soccer in late Spring to attend the summer camp. At camp, the top 60-100 players from the states within our region compete to make the Regional Pool for each age group. Players making these pools are then eligible to receive invitations to the below events in the following seasonal year:
- ODP Inter-regionals
- USYS National ODP Training Camp
- USYS National Team & International Trips
Additional Benefits of ODP:
Techne Futbol App
The Soccer Training app designed by pros! For the motivated player looking to improve on their own.
All players who register for Alabama ODP receive a free subscription to Techne Futbol as part of their program registration. this $280 value.
When you register for the Alabama ODP, you are asked to provide an email address for your child’s Techne account. Then, we add your child to our subscription and they receive an email to get started!
United Goalkeeping Alliance
The United Goalkeeping Alliance proudly supports Goalkeepers around the world through every stage of their development. Our virtual education platform was created to enhance Goalkeepers growth on and off the pitch!
2024 – 2025 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
View the entire ODP Schedule below. In order to register for events, Program Registration for the current season must be completed. Click on the Event name for each event to be directed to its’ registration page.
| Date | Event Name | Location | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 19-20 | October ID & Training Center | Merrimack Soccer Complex, Huntsville | Register Here |
| November 16-17 | November ID & Training Center | Emory Folmar YMCA, Montgomery | Register Here |
| December 21-22 | December ID & Training Center | Trione Soccer Complex, Daphne | Register Here |
| January 18-19 | January ID & Training Center | Emory Folmar YMCA, Montgomery | Register Here |
| February 15-17 | Memphis Inter-Regionals | Mike Rose Soccer Complex, Memphis TN | Invite Only |
| March 15-16 | March ID & Training Center | Emory Folmar YMCA, Montgomery | Register Here |
| April 19-20 | April ID & Training Center | Emory Folmar YMCA, Montgomery | Register Here |
| June | South Intra-Regional Combine | Richard Siegel Soccer Complex, Murfreesboro, TN | Invite Only |
| July | South Region Camp | TBD | Invite Only |
Alabama ODP Success Stories
Chris grew up in Hoover, AL playing for Hoover Soccer Club. His efforts in ODP helped him see a new level of play that increased his desire to bet the best. Before joining FC Dallas Development Academy, Chris was awarded DA Central Conference Player of the Year on the way to winning the National Championship with the Houston Texans beating FC Dallas in the process. He quickly moved to FC Dallas then on to FC Bayern Munich where he made his first team debut in June of 2020!
Chris recently scored his first international goal for the USA in the Nation League finals to help the US defend its crown!
Julia played for Birmingham United Soccer Association during her youth career and went on several ODP trips from the National Team Camp to Rio De Janiero in Brazil. She went on to play for Auburn University Women’s Soccer before transferring to Auburn University at Montgomery.
Brandon Servania grew up playing with Birmingham United and Vestavia Hills Soccer Club and participated in Alabama ODP. He moved to Dallas to join FC Dallas’ Development Academy and committed to Wake Forest for his Freshman year of college. After his Freshman year, he returned to FC Dallas to sign a homegrown contract and join the 1st team. He’s also represented the US Youth National Team across multiple age groups and was recently capped by the Senior Men’s National Team!
Grace participated in ODP for several years persevering through the challenges to make the State Team then the Region Team where she went on two trips to England in her final years in the program. This lead her to the LSU Women’s Soccer Team!
Tanner Tessmann played with Birmingham United Soccer Association and participated in ODP for several years going on trips with the Region Team and ODP National Team. He joined the FC Dallas Development Academy in 2016. From there he worked his way to the first team where he signed a homegrown contract and debuted with the first team in 2020!
Tanner now plays for Venezia FC in Italy’s ‘Serie A’ has been capped by our Full National Team and is the Captain of our 2024 Olympic Team.
Maddison “Goose” Martin played for Birmingham United growing up and had several successes with ODP including a trip to Costa Rica! She worked with the coaches at LSU during her time in ODP which helped her land a scholarship to the Division 1 school!
David Wrona grew up playing with Birmingham United Soccer Association and was a teammate of Tanner Tessmann and Chris Richards. David played ODP for several years going to IMG and Argentina with the Region Team before moving on to the Columbus Crew Development Academy. He currently plays for Wake Forest.
Lucas grew up playing with the Capital City Streaks in Montgomery and Alabama FC in Birmingham. His involvement with the ODP Region & National Teams brought him to various countries around the world including Costa Rica, Scotland, and Portugal before signing with the Columbus Crew Development Academy in August of 2020!