Kevin Vang, a strong candidate to be New England's next Homegrown Player, grew up playing for Bayside. (Courtesy photo)
In recent months, the powers at be for the New England Revolution sat down and asked simply: Are we doing enough with our academy?
That straightforward question prompted a straightforward answer, according to club president Brian Bilello and academy directory Bryan Scales. Hence why – in addition to spending over $1 million a year to fund free youth programs from U-13s to U-19s, plus a U-23 team in the summer – the Revs have recently launched two initiatives.
The first is a series of free talent development clinics in underserved Boston communities, with an eye towards providing youth players with a pathway into the Revs’ academy.
