Spring Season of Sporting Development League Underway
The sixth season of Sporting Development League (SDL) kicked off Saturday at Central Bank Sporting Complex and features eight of the top U12 boys’ teams from seven different Academy Affiliate clubs.
This season’s SDL schedule includes five play dates for every team, with one play date occurring during each month of the upcoming Spring Season. Each team will face off in two matches per play date until SDL’s Championship Weekend, May 20 and 21 at Swope Soccer Village.
The Academy Affiliate clubs competing for the title of SDL Champion this Spring include: Sporting Blue Valley, Sporting City West, Sporting Iowa, Sporting Kaw Valley, Sporting Missouri Valley, Sporting Nebraska, and Sporting Wichita.
After this weekend’s game slate, Sporting Iowa tops the league standings with a combined nine goals in two wins against Sporting Missouri Valley and Sporting Kaw Valley. Sporting Nebraska is the only other club with an undefeated record through one day of play, tallying wins over Sporting Blue Valley and Sporting Wichita.
Sporting Missouri Valley and Sporting Wichita each took one win away from the weekend, while Sporting Blue Valley, Sporting City West and Sporting Kaw Valley fill out the rest of the league table with a combination of draws and losses through the weekend.
In the opening day of 2023 SDL action a total of 34 goals were scored across all eight matches, with every team conceding at least one goal.
Since 2020, Sporting Development League has brought together top teams from both local and regional Academy Affiliate clubs, as well as the SKC Academy, to provide developmental and identification opportunities for both players and coaches hoping to take the next step on the Player Development Pathway.
The SDL competition format is designed to maximize player actions per match and quality of play through unique field specifications, allowing players to showcase their skills at the most intense level of play.
See below for a full list of results from Saturday’s SDL matchups.
February 25 SDL Results
| Sporting Kaw Valley | 1 | vs | Sporting City West | 1 |
| Sporting Missouri Valley II | 1 | vs | Sporting Iowa | 5 |
| Sporting Blue Valley | 0 | vs | Sporting Nebraska | 3 |
| Sporting Missouri Valley | 1 | vs | Sporting Wichita | 5 |
| Sporting Kaw Valley | 0 | vs | Sporting Iowa | 4 |
| Sporting Blue Valley | 0 | vs | Sporting Missouri Valley | 6 |
| Sporting Nebraska | 4 | vs | Sporting Wichita | 1 |
| Sporting Kaw Valley | 1 | vs | Sporting Missouri Valley II | 1 |
To stay updated on Sporting Development League, follow @SportingKCYouth on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and visit SportingKCYouth.com/Sporting-Development-League.