Dallas Hornets

What the club offers

Boys born 2006 through 2012 can pursue the full-year MLS Next pathway (U13–U19), the top MLS-run competitive tier for that age band in North America. MLS Next teams compete in the Frontier Division alongside MLS academy clubs such as Austin FC, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, and Sporting Kansas City. Younger boys born 2013 through 2016 enter through the MLS Next Youth Academy foundation phase (U9–U12), aimed at players who want to grow toward the U13–U19 MLS Next teams. Boys born 2006 through 2014 can also play in Texas 2, an in-state second-division league formed by MLS Next clubs in Texas that keeps travel inside the state and allows high school–aged players to participate in high school soccer where rules permit.

Girls born 2006 through 2012 train and compete in DPL, a standards-driven regional league built for strong competition and college exposure. Pre-DPL opportunities exist for younger birth years; Open ID sessions for those ages are held at The Athletic Club in The Colony, with registration through the club’s tryout signup flow and questions routed to the Girls Pre DPL director.

On the east side of the market, Dallas Hornets RDC East runs Texas 2 teams (U11–U19), Select boys and girls teams (U11–U19) across Dallas-area league levels, and a Juniors program (U6–U10) with multiple teams per age group. Families with placement or program questions reach the RDC East director of coaching, the foundation-phase boys director (including a dallashornetsyouth.com email contact), or the Rockwall-area lead, using the phone numbers the club publishes for those roles.

Philosophy and coaching approach

The club aims to lead youth development nationally while holding a high bar in North Texas, pairing on-field growth with community-minded character. Training messaging centers on four pillars—passion, discipline, problem solving, and creativity—framed as the Hornets Way. Technical leadership includes a MLS Next director with extensive professional and national-team staff experience, a technical director with MLS academy background, and a director of coaching overseeing the broader staff.

Registration, tryouts, and how to reach the club

Season signup, team pages, and program logistics for youth families are handled through https://www.dallashornetsyouth.com. Foundation-phase boys ID sessions for MLS Next Youth Academy register through the club’s BYGA tryout signup. Pre-DPL Open ID registration uses the club’s published tryout link; email charity@dallashornets.com for girls Pre DPL questions. General soccer operations questions can go to cody@dallashornets.com (technical director); MLS Next leadership is reachable at jeff@dallashornets.com. RDC East contacts include ssimmonds@dallashornets.com, rperry@dallashornetsyouth.com, and ghale@dallashornets.com with the phone numbers listed for those roles on the RDC East program page. The main Dallas Hornets marketing site at https://dallashornets.com summarizes platforms and links fan wear and program menus.