Philadelphia Union Academy has announced changes to its player pathway, relaunching the prestigious Union Juniors in August 2025.
“We are incredibly excited to relaunch the Union Juniors program as part of our evolving player pathway,” said Director of Academy and Professional Development Jon Scheer. “Union Juniors will provide young players with a unique opportunity to train in a high-level, club-neutral environment while continuing to grow and compete with their respective clubs.”
The Union Juniors will be comprised of the U9, U10, U11 and U12 players and will follow the Club and Country model. This will allow players to train in a high-level, club-neutral environment while continuing to compete with their club teams in matches. This move away from the team-based model in the U9-U11 age groups will allow for players to further their own development with their clubs while also allowing for expanded training pools in the Union Juniors. For the 2025/2026 season, the Union Juniors will continue to field a U12 team.
“Union Juniors will serve as the foundation and bridge to our Academy,” Scheer said on the program. “Our goal is to connect an expanded pool of young players to the Philadelphia Union, while supporting the great work being done by local clubs, to ensure that the future of Philadelphia Union talent thrives right here in our own backyard.”
The previous Union Juniors program inspired the latest model for the organization and helped laid the foundation for the academy’s development philosophy. Homegrown Quinn Sullivan got his start with the club through the program as did former Union homegrowns Auston Trusty, Brendan Aaronson, Paxten Aaronson and Mark McKenzie.
Union Juniors serves as the foundation for the Academy and provides a platform for young players to improve, develop and prepare for the potential entry into the prestigious Philadelphia Union Academy.
All Union Junior sessions will take place at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex and will see 30-50 players per age group train weekly. The training sessions that players have with the Union Juniors will not only provide the club with a larger talent base but allow players to train alongside some of the region’s top talent while thriving for their local clubs.
