Sporting KC Youth Soccer Unveils Evolution of Sporting Development League with New Competition Format for 2025-26 Season

June 5, 2025
Affiliate News

Sporting KC Youth Soccer is proud to announce the continued evolution of the Sporting Development League, U11 (2015) and U12 (2014) Boys Divisions, for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Since its launch in 2020, the league has served as a competitive platform for Sporting KC Academy Affiliate clubs, focusing on player and coach development within the small-sided age groups.  

“The Sporting Development League has been an invaluable league platform for our network of Sporting KC Academy Affiliate clubs,” said Dan Popik, Sporting KC Vice President of Youth Sports Properties. “It has played a key role in advancing player development and helping athletes progress to higher levels of competition, including opportunities within the SKC Academy.” 

As the league continues to evolve, the Sporting Development League will implement a new competition format. 

      • The league will transition from play-date weekends in Kansas City, to a more traditional league format with home and away fixtures.  
      • During fixtures, teams will play two games in a single day to minimize costs. 
      • The league will feature 13 teams from 10 clubs, the most teams to ever compete in a season. 
      • For the first time in league history, a club from outside the Sporting KC Academy Affiliate network will be participating. 

The top-level teams from each club will compete in a twelve-game season during both the fall and spring. At the end of the spring season, all teams will participate in the Sporting Development League Championship in Kansas City, where the league winners will be crowned. 

The Sporting Development League is composed of some of the top boys clubs in the region, all of which compete in national level leagues. Participating clubs include members of MLS NEXT New Tier, ECNL, and the National Academy League. 

The Sporting Development League (SDL) stands apart in the soccer landscape through a distinct set of rules and regulations that emphasize player development at every level. Designed to cultivate talent and promote growth, the SDL prioritizes long-term success over short-term results. A few of the unique elements that differentiates the SDL, including: 

      • All restarts begin with the ball placed on the boundary line and brought back into play either by a pass or a dribble. This encourages quick decision-making and technical execution under pressure. 
      • The SDL eliminates stoppages for substitutions. Instead, players are substituted on the fly, within the natural rhythm of the game. This maintains continuous play and allows for a faster, more dynamic match environment. 
      • Every game will feature a designated build-out and offside line. This promotes constructive play from the back and encourages teams to maintain possession while also creating a more open and fluid attacking game. By redefining traditional offside constraints, the SDL fosters creativity and intelligent movement. 
      • Each game is 3 x 20 min periods instead of the traditional two halves. This allows the coaches to have more opportunities to give instructions, adjust tactics, and substitute players strategically. The shorter play periods can help maintain a higher level of concentration, quality of play, and effort from the players. 

Sporting Development League Boys Teams: 

      • Sporting City – East Region  
      • Sporting City – West Region  
      • Sporting City – North Region  
      • Sporting Blue Valley  
      • Sporting Iowa  
      • Sporting Nebraska  
      • Sporting Wichita  
      • Sporting Kaw Valley  
      • Sporting Springfield  
      • Sporting Springfield 2 
      • Sporting Arkansas  
      • Advantage Academy  
      • Sporting Oklahoma  

The Sporting Development League U12 Girls Division for the 2025-2026 season will feature eight Sporting KC Academy Affiliate clubs and compete in two festival-style events during the fall and spring seasons. The final season festival will crown a league winner.  

More information about the Sporting Development League, including a full league overview and details on the competitive format, can be found at: https://sportingkcyouth.com/sporting-development-league/.