Two weeks after San Diego FC unveiled its crest, logo, and colors as the team prepares for its first season in 2025, the team broke ground on the much-anticipated Right to Dream Youth Development Academy and Training Facility at Sycuan Reservation at Singing Hills on Nov. 9.
“It’s one of those great, memorable, and historic events for our league,” said Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber. “We’re beginning to kick off a series of special moments with the launch of this team that takes the field in 2025. The development of young players, in this case boys and girls…is a big part of the DNA of our league.”
Garber was among the attendees at the event along with Tom Penn (San Diego FC president), Mohamed Mansour (San Diego FC chairman), Cody Martinez (San Diego FC vice-chairman and Sycuan tribal chairman), Tom Vernon (San Diego FC founding partner and founder/CEO of Right to Dream), and Manny Machado (San Diego FC founding partner and San Diego Padres player).
The $150 million facility will be situated on a 28-acre project site on the northwest portion of the Sycuan Reservation east of El Cajon.
“To see this project come to life is incredible,” said Machado. “It’s important for me to leave a lasting legacy in San Diego, which has been so supportive. Our San Diego FC vision for the youth development academy means there will be more opportunities for young San Diego athletes, boys and girls, who may not have otherwise had them.”
The Right to Dream Academy offers a unique model of talent development by way of its holistic approach to character building, football development, and focus on education. Unlike the traditional U.S. pay-to-play model, Right to Dream San Diego is a scholarship-based academy whereby all enrolled, residential athletes will receive full five-year scholarships regardless of football performance. Upon completion of the project, San Diego FC will become the first MLS club to offer a privately operated school combined with a residential football academy. The Right to Dream Academy San Diego will be part of San Diego FC’s 125,000 square-foot campus that will include a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art sports performance facilities shared by the first team and academy teams, and five full-sized soccer fields, including three natural turf fields and two synthetic turf fields.
“Right to Dream San Diego will also offer several firsts in the U.S. and MLS footballing landscapes, including a fully-funded school, residences, and football academy that offers pathways for young talent to flourish both on and off the field,” said Vernon. “As we have in Ghana, Denmark, and Egypt we will provide opportunities to student-athletes to reach their academic potential, affect positive change in their communities, and become world-class football players.”
