Richmond, VA – (Friday, November 9, 2007) – United Soccer Leagues announced recently the preliminary Super Y-League First and Second 11 Club rankings for the 2007 season, recognizing the Richmond Kickers as one of the top competitive and administrative clubs.  The Richmond Kickers Super Y-League program ranks ninth on the Second 11 list on both the overall Clubs and Girls categories. 

The Super Y-League launched a new club ranking system in 2005 with the top clubs ranked from one through 22 and separated into the First and Second 11.  With the extensive growth of the second-year USL Super-20 League, the 2007 rankings also include a club’s performance in the new league.  This system publicizes the top 22 clubs in both the boys and girls categories as well as overall.  The rankings are based primarily upon the on-field results – winning percentage accounting for 70 percent of the score.  Minimum standards and operations complete the other 30 percent.

The release of the list precedes the upcoming Super Y-League North American finals, where 21 of the clubs in the rankings, including the Richmond Kickers U13 Girls, will be competing for the 10 championships up for grabs November 16-20.  Regarded as the top youth soccer event in North America, it is a five-day tournament that includes over 130 of the best youth soccer teams in the US and Canada from U13 to U17 for boys and girls.

The USL Super Y-League represents a professionalized system that is the first step for developing elite youth soccer players in North America. Affiliated with U.S. Soccer and partnered with U.S. Club Soccer, the league is designed for talented youth players destined for professional or international careers. The league contains the youth academies of USL First Division, USL Second Division, Premier Development League, W-League, and Major League Soccer clubs, as well as many of the established premier youth clubs. Through Olympic Development Program status events such as the North American Finals and ODP National Camps, the nation’s top players are identified for selection to U.S. National Team Programs. The 2007 campaign features over 800 teams within the U13 – U17 boys and girls age groups competing within nine geographic divisions of the U.S. and Canada.