GA League Announcement

Rhode Island Surf is excited to announce our addition to the Girls Academy League beginning in the 2024-2025 season. Considered to be the leading youth development platform for the best female soccer players in the United States, admission to the league marks yet another milestone in the club's upwards trajectory that has been achieved in such a short history.

Founded in 2020, the Girls Academy League (GA League) has taken a unique approach in their development as an elite-level competition. In its current state, there are 10 conferences consisting of 94 clubs, 14,000 players and 1,200 advisory panel members. "The Advisory Panel affords players the opportunity to nominate and maintain a player-led board that represents the thoughts, opinions and vision of the players" (girlsacademyleague.com).

Assistant Girls Director Lindsay Longval had this to say of Rhode Island Surf's acceptance into the competition, "Since its inception, Rhode Island Surf has set our goals on not only competing in our region, but advancing competitive levels and opportunities beyond for players in Rhode Island. Our acceptance to join the Girls Academy League is a proud moment. This comes from the hard work and commitment of our players and coaches, with tremendous support from the families. The Girls Academy League is a unique elite female platform which shares a similar holistic athlete development philosophy to RI Surf. The player voice is fostered, included, and respected. We are excited to be aligning ourselves with the Girls Academy League and clubs to provide our players/teams with the nation's best competition, development opportunities, and proven collegiate pathways. While this announcement will prove to be impactful for the advancement of both Rhode Island Surf and the Rhode Island soccer community, we are eager to continue our hard work with our sights set higher to truly showcase what our players and coaches are capable of."

"Rhode Island Surf is both proud and honored to accept membership into the Girls Academy League," said Girls Director Aleksej Skundric, "We are excited to partner with a league and clubs that share the same vision of player empowerment and holistic athlete development as RI Surf.  The unique elite female platform with proven collegiate pathways; and the nations best competition, will surely benefit not only our players, but the soccer landscape of Rhode Island.  There is no better platform to align our values and future advancement of player and team opportunities than the Girls Academy League.

Speaking on the addition of Rhode Island Surf, League Commissioner Trish Hughes had this to say, "Rhode Island Surf brings a surge of talent and determination to the Girls' Academy, showcasing strong leadership and unwavering competitiveness. Their addition not only broadens our presence in Rhode Island but also strengthens the competitive landscape within the NE conference. With Rhode Island Surf on board, we embark on a journey towards new heights, propelled by their passion and commitment to excellence."

The staff here at Rhode Island Surf maintains a deep devotion to providing the highest levels of competition in our player pathway, ensuring our athletes are able to develop in an environment best-suited to their abilities. Exciting times lie ahead for the club and its players!