Dear Players, Parents, and Staff,
After careful consideration and internal debate, the New York Cosmos have decided to indefinitely suspend the operation of the Cosmos Academy. It was an incredibly difficult decision, and we are saddened to have to deliver this news.
Speaking specifically to the players, you have put a lot of time and effort into training and competing. You have represented the club with pride and honor. We’re sorry that we can’t continue the academy at this moment in time.
As you are all aware, the recent shutdown of the US Soccer Development Academy has thrown youth development into a state of uncertainty. At this moment, we simply don’t have a clear development pathway for your child. That being said, we don’t think it is fair to ask you to continue to invest your time and money in our academy system. We will take the next year to evaluate our options in the local and national youth soccer landscapes before deciding how and when to restart operations.
Further, the spread of the coronavirus, particularly in New York, makes the possibility of youth soccer teams training and playing again in 2020 very challenging. We are currently evaluating the best protocols for getting our professional players back on the field. In that process we have learned a lot by reviewing the plans of the most successful professional leagues in the world. Those current best practices include rigorous testing on a regular basis, daily screenings by medical professionals and social distancing protocols that are impractical for us to implement or manage within a youth sports program at this time.
I know these are difficult times for all of us right now, and we’re very sorry to have to deliver this disappointing news.
Sincerely,
Erik Stover
Chief Operating Officer
New York Cosmos
After careful consideration and internal debate, the New York Cosmos have decided to indefinitely suspend the operation of the Cosmos Academy. It was an incredibly difficult decision, and we are saddened to have to deliver this news.
Speaking specifically to the players, you have put a lot of time and effort into training and competing. You have represented the club with pride and honor. We’re sorry that we can’t continue the academy at this moment in time.
As you are all aware, the recent shutdown of the US Soccer Development Academy has thrown youth development into a state of uncertainty. At this moment, we simply don’t have a clear development pathway for your child. That being said, we don’t think it is fair to ask you to continue to invest your time and money in our academy system. We will take the next year to evaluate our options in the local and national youth soccer landscapes before deciding how and when to restart operations.
Further, the spread of the coronavirus, particularly in New York, makes the possibility of youth soccer teams training and playing again in 2020 very challenging. We are currently evaluating the best protocols for getting our professional players back on the field. In that process we have learned a lot by reviewing the plans of the most successful professional leagues in the world. Those current best practices include rigorous testing on a regular basis, daily screenings by medical professionals and social distancing protocols that are impractical for us to implement or manage within a youth sports program at this time.
I know these are difficult times for all of us right now, and we’re very sorry to have to deliver this disappointing news.
Sincerely,
Erik Stover
Chief Operating Officer
New York Cosmos