Take several of the nation’s top soccer recruits - I’m talking the most sought after blue-chippers in the country – the known commodities who sift through piles of letters from adoring top level college programs during the recruiting process.

And of those future stars, poll them on how many universities they’ve actually had the benefit of experiencing; how many coaches they’ve looked directly in the eye, how much campus life sampled.

Chances are, you add up that total and it still pales in comparison to what Darlington School Soccer Academy has accomplished. In the last two years, members of this academy have visited 86 separate campuses.

That’s 86 unique trips to new regions and communities; 86 eye-opening possibilities.

Even for a program that hangs its hat on college preparation, that’s a lot of college experience!

“Our mission is to make sure kids are viewed by colleges and we accomplish that by giving them a look into an array of programs,” said Academy Director Chad Liddle. “These trips are tremendous experiences for these kids who really get to see the whole spectrum of what’s available and what their options are.”

But the Darlington Soccer Academy, just one facet of Darlington school located in Rome, Georgia (about an hour northwest of Atlanta), is much more than one trek around the country. Bringing together kids from all over the world – Holland, Denmark, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, etc. … - this year-round opportunity is an intensive program that allows players to train with nationally licensed coaches and performance training specialists.

Darlington operates as a club and competes in major showcases around the nation while offering training every day. Liddle, who started the academy six years ago, has also begun a partnership with No. 1 Soccer Camps through his relationship with founder and Soccer Hall of Famer Joe Machnik.

This means that not only do the Darlington Academy participants get total soccer immersion training, but for two weeks out of the year they experience the unique curriculum of No. 1 Soccer Camps.

“We’re very excited to be associated with their program,” Liddle said. “It’s a great curriculum that really stresses the fundamentals of both sides of the ball. We have around 150 to190 campers on our campus.”

And about that Darlington campus: for as special as the soccer academy is it’s only an extension of the school itself.

Darlington School is a college preparatory school that’s been around for 105 years. Its motto: “Wisdom is more than Knowledge, Service beyond Self; Honor above Everything.”

Standing the test of time, it’s a place of progressive academia that empowers the student while still providing the rich adolescent experiences no kid should have to sacrifice.

“In a lot of ways this school is really run by the kids. There are so many leadership opportunities,” Liddle said. “It’s a dynamic place. Our kids go everywhere from Ivy League to international schools. And they do it while still enjoying themselves – going to support their classmates in basketball and football games.

“We keep their high school experience intact.”