Over 200 take part in selection trials to 2026 National Academy teams

[February 1, 2026 – Harmon, Guam] Over 200 youth players took part in trial sessions for the 2026 Guam Football Association National Academy aiming for selection to four Academy teams – U15 Boys, U15 Girls, U13 Boys, and U13 Girls – with Academy coaches at the Guam Football Association National Training Center Jan. 26-29.

“The National Academy is part of Guam’s Elite Player Pathway,” said Ross Awa, GFA Technical Director. “The program is essential for youth players because it ensures they receive consistent, high-quality training during a pivotal stage of their development. It enables us to bridge the gap in performance standards by providing early exposure to elite coaching and a competitive environment, preparing the players for Youth National Teams and ultimately for Guam’s senior national teams – the Matao, Guam Men’s National Team and the Masakåda, Guam Women’s National Team.

“The coaching staff recently completed the GFA-FIFA Talent Identification Workshop with visiting FIFA High Performance Specialist Eric Abrams and will conduct a thorough review of each player’s performance and potential. We anticipate completing the evaluations within the week. We truly appreciate everyone’s commitment to supporting the young athletes’ growth and future success on their football journey,” Awa added.

New to the 2026 Academy program is a younger age division – the U13 age bracket for one boys team and one girls team. The younger age division is in line with GFA’s Elite Youth Development under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme. During trial sessions, parents of prospective players also took part in a parents meeting with Abrams and Awa in the GFA National Training Center Lecture Hall.

“I think it’s important for parents to maximize all the opportunities available to their children, like the GFA National Academy program,” said Krystle Tadio, mother of youth athlete Amelia Tadio-Lujan who plays for Sidekick SC. “There are a lot of opportunities out there like this that people don’t necessarily know about so they don’t even try. These opportunities, especially for the kids, keep them active and to let them know that there are other activities available for them to do that are positive and will help them later in life. Aside from football skills, they learn about working together, resilience, having to try out and possibly failing but learning from their mistakes.”

Tadio-Lujan was one of 114 youth players on Day 1 of the U13 National Academy trial sessions, hoping to impress Academy coaches as a goalkeeper.

“I think the GFA National Academy program is good for the youth athletes to get the experience and learn from coaches who have been through professional level coach education,” said Lee Babauta, father of youth athlete Taysha-Le Babauta who plays for the Guam Shipyard Wolverines SC. “This is my first time at one of these types of events for my daughter and I am in awe of the set up for so many kids. I hope the Academy program for her will help her continue to build her confidence and also with the skills she needs to play the sport she’s loved since she was six years old. Really, she was the one who wanted to come here and make it to the Academy.”

Players had the opportunity to take part in two separate trial sessions to increase their visibility in front of Academy coaches. For one visiting family, the trial sessions were not only an opportunity to be spotted by Guam National Program coaches for potential matriculation to Guam’s Youth National Teams, but to also gauge the level of development and play experienced in the U.S. with potential National Team teammates in Guam.

“I feel like it’s very important for parents to take advantage of programs like the National Academy for their children,” said Rodney Camacho, father of Talan Camacho, who currently plays for the Las Vegas Heat Surf in Nevada. “After having moved from Guam to the states, there is a big difference as far as the level of the game especially for my son’s age. I remember here we had practice sessions two days a week and then the Robbie Webber match, but in Las Vegas, where we are now, we have five days training for league matches and then we also have tournaments. At least for back here at home, I feel like programs like the National Academy can help prepare boys and girls to get to the next level.

“When we were still living in Guam before, GFA had its first National Academy program where the kids would come and try out and then they’ll come here to GFA, do their homework, and get the touches on the ball, training – I think all that made a big difference in that time frame with the kids now who came from that program,” added Camacho, former Guam National Futsal Team goalkeeper and licensed coach for the Guam Shipyard Wolverines Elite Program.

Camacho and his son routinely return to Guam at least twice a year, he said.

In addition to training sessions in Guam, selected Academy players will also regularly compete in Guam’s leagues as an Academy team and potentially in international tournaments or friendly matches in the region. Earlier this year, the Guam U14 Girls Academy team competed in the 2026 Siam Cup Elite tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, facing club teams from Australia, Philippines, and Thailand, as well as the Hong Kong, China U14 Girls National Team.

Academy teams will take part in the upcoming Spring 2026 season of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth League, playing up one age division. The U15 Girls Academy Team will open its bid Feb. 7 against the NAPA Rovers FC in the opening match of the league’s U17 Girls Division.

The league officially kicks off Feb. 21 with the U6, U8, U11, U14 Haya, U14 Lagu, and U17 Boys Divisions. The U14 Astra all-girls division will kick off Mar. 14.

League schedules are available to view online at https://guamfa.powerupsports.com