City Football Group has made two moves into the US youth soccer market this year, each using a different model.
Manchester City North Texas FC
Manchester City has launched Manchester City North Texas FC, the club’s first full-time youth development presence in the United States. The program will run teams for players ages eight through 19 in competitive leagues and tournaments in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Full-time coaches from Manchester City’s academy are relocating to North Texas to lead the program. Training follows the City Football Academy methodology used across City Football Group’s global network of clubs.
Summer camp registration is already open, but the camps serve as an entry point to a year-round competitive program. This is not a licensing arrangement or a summer partnership. City Football Group is operating the club directly.
Charlotte Soccer Academy partnership
In Charlotte, City has taken a different approach. Rather than launching a new club, Manchester City has partnered with Charlotte Soccer Academy, an established ECNL program, and PUMA.
Two full-time Manchester City coaches are relocating to Charlotte to work with CSA’s Foundation Phase covering U10 through U12 and Pre-ECNL age groups. Players in the program will travel to Manchester annually for competitive matches against City Football Academy teams.
Charlotte Soccer Academy has been a PUMA King Club since 2019. The three-way arrangement between CSA, Manchester City, and PUMA connects an established domestic club with a Premier League brand and a global kit manufacturer.
Two models
The North Texas and Charlotte moves represent two distinct strategies for European clubs entering the US youth market.
In Texas, City Football Group is building from the ground up with their own badge, their own coaches, and their own operational structure. In Charlotte, they’re embedding coaching expertise inside an existing club that already has players, facilities, and league memberships.
City Football Group operates clubs in 13 countries including New York City FC, Melbourne City, Girona FC, and Yokohama F. Marinos. The US youth market represents the latest expansion of a network that has grown steadily since the group’s formation in 2013.