San Diego FC Opens Right to Dream Academy, MLS’s First Fully-Residential School

San Diego’s soccer dream just got real. With its Right to Dream ambition now under one roof, San Diego FC Academy is officially opened with a grand ceremony that represents more than bricks and pitches—it’s a statement of intent.

A Campus Built for Champions

Spread across 28 acres of Sycuan tribal land, the new Sharp HealthCare Performance Center houses the first-team and youth academies under one vision. The facility spans 125,000 square feet and includes classrooms, dormitories, a library, and the crucial Academy Performance Building—a hub of training, rehab, and sports science. Outside, the campus includes five full-size soccer pitches (three natural turf, two synthetic).

What sets it apart: this isn’t just another youth setup. It’s MLS’s first fully-funded residential school and football academy combining academic life (middle and high school) with elite-level, full-residential training. 

Grand Opening and Big Names

At the ribbon-cutting, leaders from San Diego FC joined MLS Commissioner Don Garber to mark the moment. They weren’t just celebrating a facility—they were planting a flag in youth development.

The Academy launched for the 2025–26 season with 17 student-athletes in the U-13 squad, competing in MLS NEXT against established youth clubs. Plans call for expansion to additional age groups and ultimately a girls’ program.

Bridging Borders, Building Futures

One of the Academy’s most intriguing features is its cross-border recruiting capability. It can pull talents from Tijuana and other Mexican regions, making it uniquely positioned as an MLS academy reaching beyond U.S. lines.

The initial roster reflects that cross-border vision—players from San Diego and Tijuana form the core, with select recruits from open MLS territories. The Academy is designed to serve the entire border region, not just one side. 

A Model with Purpose

San Diego FC’s Academy operates on a scholarship-based, fully funded model. Student-athletes attend without tuition, combining high-level soccer training with academic education and residential life. 

This is part of the global Right to Dream network—an academy system born in Ghana in 1999 that now spans continents with the philosophy that every young talent deserves a path.

What’s Next

For now, the academy’s focus is on forming the foundations: training habits, culture, and identity. Girls’ teams are anticipated to begin in fall 2026, making San Diego FC among the first to build gender-inclusive residential academies at this scale. 

Looking ahead, the academy’s success will be measured not just by which youth player breaks through, but by how many graduate into the first team—or beyond into Europe or Liga MX. If this launch is any indication, San Diego’s football future just got a major upgrade.