Columbus Crew Academy

Columbus Crew Academy is the youth academy and development system of American Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew, which competes in MLS Next.

The academy plays in the U15, U16 and U18 divisions in MLS Next and also includes pre-formation teams from the ages of U10-U14 that play in friendlies and tournaments throughout the year.

The Columbus Crew academy were founded in 2006. They joined U.S. Soccer Development Academy as a founding member in 2007. They fielded U15/U16 and U17/U18 teams in this league until the 2016-17 season. In the 2017-18 season these age groups were replaced with U16/U17 and U18/U19 teams.

U.S. Soccer Development Academy folded in 2020 and the academy teams moved to the newly founded league, MLS Next, where they entered U14, U15, U17 and U19 teams.

In Fall of 2023, Columbus Crew Academy entered a team into the United Premier Soccer League. They played one season and finished the season by winning the Ohio/Indy Conference, East Region and finishing 3rd place in the national playoffs.

For the 2024-25 season, the age groups participating in MLS Next changed to U15, U16 and U18.

The OhioHealth Performance Center opened in 2021 on the site of Historic Crew Stadium. The Crew moved their training facility from Obetz, OH during the 2021 season with the development of Lower.com Field. The facility includes 3.5 natural grass fields, plus a turf field at Historic Crew Stadium which can support a seasonal bubble during the winter months.

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