This exciting new initiative will give its member clubs the freedom to build the best possible training and match environment for our kids. And it starts with leadership: an advisory panel of technical directors and directors of coaching selected from the clubs who will be its founding members.

They will set policy for this program, not me or the WAGS board. They will make the right decisions for our players' long-term growth. They will be freed and empowered by the flexible infrastructure of U.S. Club Soccer, which recognizes that clubs are the primary vehicle for player development.

And perhaps most notably for some, EPDL will include boys divisions in the U-9 and U-10 age groups. With a club-based model proving to be the most appropriate route from a player development standpoint, and the PODS program having shown us the value of multiple age groups at the same venues on the same days, current WAGS technical directors have told us that it would similarly be easiest to have boys and girls at the same locations at the same time and playing by the same rules they believe best for development overall.

So under EPDL, our kids will have access to the best instruction and the most appropriate competition, our schedules will be more convenient than ever and our member clubs will have the optimal structure for future growth and evolution with coaches making coaching decisions. If everything goes according to plan, we'll debut this new approach this fall.

One of the few exceptions to rules setting by the advisory board is that the EPDL will require each member club to enter their top team, which we know conflicts with similar rules at other leagues; and thus limiting this program's potential members.

Of course, we understand that EPDL may not be the choice or option for everyone, and in those cases, our existing WAGS structure remains. But we strongly believe this model is the way forward, and we hope that eligible WAGS member clubs will join us, and work together to make this opportunity available to as many players as possible.

Please do not hesitate to contact Kathie Diapoulis at 443-789-4568 or Robin Miller at 410-374-8430 with questions, comments and suggestions. You can reach out via email at admin@wagsl.com,

We deeply appreciate all you do to make WAGS a special experience for our players, and look forward to working with you in making this exciting new vision a reality.