THE PLAYER PATHWAY
Work your way to the top
Turn Your Child's Soccer Dreams Into Reality — From Recreation to College and Beyond.
Imagine your child playing at the next level — and knowing it all started right here, with coaches who believed in them, developed them, and opened doors that once seemed impossible.
🏆
Player Success Spotlight
Real stories. Real players. Real dreams coming true.
All three young men began in our U14 LRFC White team. Luis now plays for U14B and has traveled across North Carolina this year. Jamie and Diego are on the U16B team, finishing 1st after a thrilling 3-2 win in NCYSA Classic League play.
These young men are paving the way for our player development pathway.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY
The Player Pathway image illustrates the various programs available for parents and players as members of the Lumber River Football Club.
Thanks to our exclusive affiliation with the NC Youth Soccer Association and US Youth Soccer, every player gains direct access to a multitude of teams, ranging from recreational levels to professional opportunities.
This feature represents one of the key advantages of our club, offering a defined route to excel in the highest tiers of play across the state and the country.
PLAYER PATHWAY STEPS
STEP 1
Create a PlayMetrics account
STEP 3
Work your way up to College ID Camps, Showcase Teams, or ECNL teams. After that it's on to College and Pros
U4-U15 Recreation
Who This Program is For: Parents and Players who simply want to play and have
FUN!
The Recreation program focuses on players having fun and developing a love for the game, with teams practicing and playing weekly. While there is a competitive element, the main goal is for players to enjoy themselves, as scores are recorded but do not define success. All players receive medals at the season's end for participation. We prioritize fostering a love for the game in this age group, aiming to enhance skills and encourage a lifelong passion for it.
Practices: 1x a week
Matches: 1x a week
Coaches: Volunteer Coaches
Tournaments: 1 end of season (fall and spring) in-house tournament
U11-U19 Classic 3rd/2nd/1st/Premier Division
Who This Program is For: Parents and Players who want twice a week training, more competitive matches, and higher levels of competition.
The Classic Program offers promotion and relegation within NC Youth Soccer. Teams usually start in the 3rd/2nd division and can move up to the 1st or Premier division after a season. They practice twice a week and compete regionally every weekend, with mid and end-of-season tournaments that may attract college coaches. Success in the Premier Division can lead to promotion to the National League Piedmont Conference.
More information on the NC Youth Soccer Classic League is available here: https://www.ncsoccer.org/classic-overview/
The SINC NCYSA Classic Schedules and Teams can be accessed here:
https://soccer.sincsports.com/details.aspx?tid=NCCSL#
Practices: 2x a week
Matches: 1x a week (Home or Away)
Coaches: US E/D/C/B Licensed Paid Coaches
Tournaments: 1-2 per season (Fall/Spring) (NCYSA State Cup)
U13-U19 National League Piedmont Conference
Who This Program is For: Parents and players who want training 2-3 times a week, with a professional paid staff coach, the highest level of play in the region, and opportunity for national showcase events where many upper level college coaches and scouts will be in attendance, as well as MLS and MLS Academy scouts will be in attendance.
Clubs earn promotion to the Piedmont Conference by being the #1 or #2 team in their NCYSA premier division. Successful teams will be invited to the National League Quarterfinals in Arizona, then the Semi-Finals in California, and the USYS National Championships.
This is the highest level of US Youth Soccer, with teams competing from the SC/GA/NC region.
More information about the USYS National League can be found here:
https://www.usysnationalleague.com/
Practices: 2-3x a week
Matches: 1-2 matches at weekend events August to March
Coaches: US D/C/B Licensed Paid Coaches
Tournaments: Conference Playoffs and National Event Qualification
The ECNL - Elite Clubs National League
Who This Program is For: This program is for elite clubs that are interested in moving all their competitive teams to the highest level of club play within regions and nationally.
Teams can join ECNL or ECNL Regional Leagues, competing against teams from SC, GA, VA, and NC. They can progress to the National Playoffs and Finals, attended by college and pro coaches.
A club must offer U13-U19 levels before joining ECNL, but nearby teams provide these programs for players. We aim for NRFC to become a member club.
Parents and players can learn more about the ECNL here:
https://theecnl.com/
Olympic Development Program (ODP) and US National Team
Who This Program is For: Parents and players that want to participate within the US Youth National Team and US Men's/Women's National Team Program.
Parents and players can participate in the ODP program year-round, with numerous sub-regional and regional matches. Players travel out of state and sometimes internationally to compete against national and regional teams.
These players often advance to Youth National teams and occasionally to men's or women's national teams, as they are the main source for national team selections. This represents the highest level of play in North Carolina and the USYS National League.
The ODP Program is run by NCYSA; more information can be found here:
https://www.ncsoccer.org/olympic-development-program-odp/
Practices: 9-10 training sessions per year
Matches: 3-4 Sub-regional events, South Region ODP Invitational, South Region ODP ID Event.
Coaches: NCYSA Technical Staff and various NC College Coaches
Tournaments: same as matches above
