Often overshadowed by historically soccer rich areas in North Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, the South Jersey region is one where elite players have often had to travel great distances to get the training and exposure needed to take their game to a higher level.
That’s starting to change in part because of the outreach of the Philadelphia Union’s youth development academy and its affiliation with a boutique club based in Medford, New Jersey that goes by the name Real Jersey FC.
Formed around the time the Union’s own youth development structure was filling out, Real Jersey FC has from its early beginnings aimed to provide a higher level of competition and training for elite players in the region.