NorCal Premier & COPA STC: Expanding Opportunity Through the Objective Player Pathway
35 players invited in 2025. Next NorCal PDP Talent ID event slated for April 4th 2026
Since announcing the multi-year partnership in April 2025, NorCal Premier Soccer and COPA Soccer Training Center (COPA STC) have taken meaningful steps toward reshaping how talent is identified in Northern California — not by replacing traditional scouting, but by expanding access through objective, performance-based insight.
Two NorCal PDP Talent ID Days have already taken place — one in August 2025 and another in November 2025. In total ~300 players attended and together those events created tangible outcomes: 35 players earned invitations into NorCal PDP training environments
Opportunities that did not exist before the introduction of an objective, data-supported approach.
What’s Next: NorCal PDP Talent ID Day — April 4, 2026
Building on that early success, NorCal Premier and COPA STC are proud to announce the next NorCal PDP Talent ID Day for Boys & Girls ages 2014, 2013, & 2012/11, taking place on April 4, 2026.
This event continues the Objective Player Pathway — designed to reduce bias, increase transparency, and create more equitable access to opportunities by combining objective assessment with live evaluation.
“The NorCal region is rich with talented players. This initiative with COPA is creating a unique pathway for players giving them an opportunity to showcase their ability and potential to the PDP program through The COPA Score. It will be very interesting for us to see if this could become a viable way to find talented players going forward”
— Ben Ziemer, NorCal Premier President
How the Objective Player Pathway Works
The Objective Player Pathway is designed to be clear, consistent, and accessible — giving players a transparent way to earn opportunities based on performance.
Step 1: Complete The COPA Score at COPA STC by March 30th, 2026
Players register for and take The COPA Score at COPA STC. The assessment captures objective data across technical, physical, cognitive, and maturation-related performance using standardized assessment protocols.
*To keep access equitable, any player taking The COPA Score for the first time can complete the assessment free of charge. See notes below on how to avail for first timers.
Step 2: Review Your Results in the COPA Score Dashboard
Following the assessment, players and families receive access to their COPA Score Dashboard, where results are broken down area and percentile ranking, so you can see how you did and how you compare.
Step 3: Qualification for Talent ID Day
Players who’s COPA Score reaches or exceeds the 50th percentile/average score when compared to their relative PDP age group will receive an automatic invitation to the upcoming NorCal PDP Talent ID Day. The invite will be sent via email and confirmation is required from the player/family.
Step 4: Attend a NorCal Talent ID Day
Player’s compete on field in a training and observation session led by NorCal PDP technical leaders. Standout players may earn invites to future PDP training sessions.
🔗 Register for a free COPA Score
Event Details – Boys & Girls NorCal Talent ID Day
📅 Date: Saturday April 4, 2026 (Age groups times provided in invite email)
👥 Eligible Birth Years: 2014, 2013, 2012/11- Boys & Girls
🏟️ Eligibility: Players must be registered with a NorCal Premier-affiliated club. Active PDP players are not eligible
💰 Event Cost: Free (Invitation Only)
Sent to parent email; Player must be playing for NorCal Premier affiliated club. Non-PDP players only are eligible; RSVP requested
Looking Ahead
The April 4, 2026 Talent ID Day represents the next step in a pathway that is already delivering real results.
By pairing objective data with on-field performance, NorCal Premier and COPA STC continue to evolve how talent is identified — ensuring more players across Northern California have the chance to be seen, measured, and supported.
Key Dates & Info
Program | Date(s) | Details |
Take Your COPA Score | November 1st 2025 – March 30th 2026 | Objective assessment protocol of a player’s skills. |
Last Day to Qualify for NorCal Talent ID Day | Monday March 30th 2026 | COPA Score must be completed by this date to be eligible for invite |
Invites Sent for NorCal Talent ID Day @ COPA | Ongoing through Tuesday April 1st | Sent to parent email; Non-PDP players only are eligible; RSVP requested |
Spring 2026 NorCal Talent ID Day | Saturday April 4th Boys & Girls, 2014, 2013, 2012/11 | Invite-only. On field training and observation session led by PDP staff |
About the Objective Player Pathway & NorCal x COPA Partnership
Launched in April 2025 by NorCal Premier Soccer and COPA STC, the Objective Player Pathway adds a data-driven entry point to PDP alongside traditional nominations and scouting. The PDP program is designed to identify and support the region’s most promising youth players by offering elite training and exposure opportunities in support of their development at their clubs. The COPA Score benchmarks each player across technical, physical, cognitive, and maturation factors—giving families clear, comparable standards for selection and actionable feedback for development.
How to access the free first-time assessment:
Please email assessments.wc@copastc.com with your athlete’s full name and date of birth exactly as is in our system. The athlete must already have a profile in our registration system before emailing. You can create or log in to your parent and athlete profile here:
COPA STC Registration System
To ensure fairness for all families, please use one profile per athlete. Creating duplicate or inaccurate profiles to bypass eligibility will result in account suspension.
Contact
Barry McCabe
COPA STC – Director, Talent Identification & Science
assessments.wc@copastc.com