JAGUARS × INSPIRE
The Michigan Jaguars are joining The Girls Academy Inspire league formats the 2026–27 season — giving U11–U12 players a development-first experience with the tools to become complete players.
GIRLS ACADEMY
INSPIRE
The Girls Academy is the premier youth development platform for girls' soccer in the United States. The new Inspire platform — launching for the 2026–27 season — introduces players to the Girls Academy environment at younger ages (U11–U12), creating greater alignment across the development pathway from the earliest stages through U13–U19 and beyond.
It builds on the success of the Girls Academy's U-12 programming in the Northeast, which has been in place since the league's inception. Inspire is a critical bridge — one that not only prepares players for the next level, but does so prioritizing development, opportunity, and the overall player experience.
Development-First Model
A pathway rooted in long-term growth — not just competition, but the complete development of the player.
Reduced Travel, Regional Play
Flexible formats with regional focus keep the emphasis on development, not travel and fatigue.
Pathway Alignment
A seamless bridge from U11–U12 into U13 Girls Academy competition and beyond, ensuring consistency at every stage.
League-Guided Standards
Girls Academy national office oversight ensures coaching quality, game-day environment, and player experience.
"The U-11 and U-12 ages are critical in a player's long-term development. This platform allows us to introduce players to the Girls Academy environment earlier, with clear alignment to how we develop players."
Girls Academy Sporting Director, Meghan Frey
TOOLS THAT MAKE
PLAYERS INSPIRE
Inspire players and parents get access to the full EPIC development toolkit — every resource built around the four tenets: Explosive, Precise, Insightful, and Combative.
Player Dashboard
A personalized hub for every player — track progress, goals, training sessions, and upcoming bookings all in one place. Parents stay connected to their player's journey with real-time visibility.
- Progress tracking & milestones
- Training schedule overview
- Goal management
- Parent & player shared access
Position Knowledge Bank
A curated library of position-specific knowledge — from goalkeeper fundamentals to attacking midfielder movement patterns. Learn what makes each position great and how to master its demands.
- Position-specific skill breakdowns
- Video clips & technique guides
- Movement principles & routines
- Role expectations for every position
Player Evaluation & Physical Assessment
Comprehensive evaluations across the four EPIC tenets — Explosive, Precise, Insightful, Combative. Paired with physical assessments that measure sprint speed, agility, strength, and recovery.
- Full-spectrum skill evaluation
- Athleticism & physical benchmarks
- Strengths & areas of growth
- Track development over time
Skill Tests
Prove where you stand with structured technical skill tests — complete with diagrams, scoring, and a ladder ranking system. Log your scores, track your progress with charts, and see exactly where you are relative to peers.
- 10 technical skill tests with diagrams
- Progress charts & attempt history
- Ladder rankings by age group
- Track improvement attempt by attempt
EPIC Preseason
A 4-week, soccer-specific preseason fitness program. Structured daily drills, agility and fitness routines, and national team performance standards — individualized per player and tracked across devices.
- 4-week structured drill schedule
- Agility, fitness & technique drills
- Performance standards by age group
- Progress tracking across devices
IDP Meetings
Individual Development Plan meetings connect players, parents, and coaches for structured goal-setting sessions. Each meeting produces a tailored development plan with clear next steps.
- Structured player–coach–parent sessions
- Goal setting & action plans
- Progress review & feedback
- Shareable development brochures
×BE INSPIRED.
BECOME ELITE.
Join the Michigan Jaguars Inspire program and unlock the EPIC development platform. Every tool you need to build the complete player — from first touch to elite competitor.