The program was introduced to help identify potential national team youth players through extensive scouting and through a voting process which allows participating leagues to have opposing coaches vote for the best players during league play. Scouting takes place during league competition and during state and national cup competition each year.. The program also serves to compliment their club programs as a means of development as the better players are brought together for training and prepared for interstate, interregional and international competitions. The development of the players takes place primarily at the club level. However, through ODP training during the high school season (on Sundays only) and during the months of May and June players in the program are offered the opportunity to train with outstanding coaches, train with and against the top players in the state, compete for national and regional championships and be exposed to the regional and national team programs. The Cal South ODP program is open to any youth player in the geographical region from Paso Robles to the north all the way to the Mexican border to the south. The higher up the ladder a player progresses, the more intense the training and playing becomes. The regional teams experience both interregional and international competitions on an annual basis. A pool of players is selected for each age group with the rosters changing each year as players develop at different rates. Regional players have traveled to Florida, Las Vegas, San Diego, France, England, Costa Rica, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands. While the ODP is one vehicle for development and identification, it is not the only method. All programs work together to help the players attain their ultimate potential. The ODP does provide a systematic method that allows players to advance as far as their abilities allow. It serves as a form of self-evaluation in a system that is recognized by coaches at all levels. Many of the top coaches in this country are involved with the program beginning at the state level. The ODP provides young players with a high level of competition and outstanding coaching as well as exposing them to the leading college coaches across the country.
 

In an effort to further reduce the conflicts between club and ODP we are announcing an annual schedule that will maximize development for players at the club and state levels. Too often players are put in a position where they have to compromise their relationship with their club to attend ODP activities. Recognizing that development at the club and state level are both essential for our most talented players to prepare them for college, regional and national teams we have selected times during the year when our clubs and their players will be least impacted by ODP activities while maintaining quality within the state select program. All training sessions that the ODP will undertake will be used toward actual competition at the regional and national level. The 1991 age group this year is the entry-level age for ODP. This soccer season the 1987 and 1989 state teams competed for regional championships in Las Vegas in January, 2004 and national championships in Las Vegas in March, 2004. All age groups this winter (December through February) will mostly train on Sundays to prevent conflicts with their high schools. The California Scholastic Federation (CIF) has approved these training sessions and will not impact their high school eligibility. Sites and times of the training sessions will be announced at the annual ODP orientation meeting in early December. ODP activity will cease during the months of mid-March, through mid-May for all age groups to prevent conflicts with state cup, tournaments and tryouts. We believe this is a very important step in the development of clubs and their programs. However, all training sessions and competitions during the months of June and July are mandatory for all players named to the pool with the exception of those competing in regional and national club competitions, and those who have formal school or religious activities. Only the state coach can excuse a player for missing training sessions and/or competitions during the months of June and July outside the exceptions mentioned above. In keeping with the discussion above, Cal South has set up a Recommendation Form for ODP that coaches around the Association can fill out identifying players they would recommend on their team as well as players from opposition teams as suitable for review by the talent scouts. Please complete this form and return to the State Office. Cal South wants the input from our coaches, and only in this way will the new program be a success.