US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues continue to expand with Pacific Developmental NPL
NationalPremierLeagues.com | scdslsoccer.com
CHARLESTON, S.C. (May 15, 2012) – US Club Soccer has announced the creation of the Pacific Developmental NPL as the newest addition to the organization’s National Premier Leagues (NPL).
The NPL has been created to provide a unified, league-based national developmental platform with the highest level of competition in given geographic areas, and to elevate and change the competitive youth soccer landscape based upon fundamental principles outlined in US Club Soccer’s 10-year vision.
Set to kick off in fall 2012, the Pacific Developmental NPL will be administrated by the Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL) in conjunction with the SCDSL season. Nineteen member clubs from the SCDSL will initially comprise the Pacific Developmental NPL, which will include U-13 through U-17 boys and girls:
• Beach FC
• Central CA Blues
• Chelsea SC
• DMCV Sharks
• Exiles SC
• FRAM
• LA Galaxy
• Laguna Hills Eclipse
• Laguna United
• Legends FC
• Pateadores
• San Diego SC
• Santa Barbara SC
• So Cal Blues
• South Bay Force
• Strikers FC
• TVSA Hawks
• United FC
• West Coast FC
Pacific Developmental NPL participating teams will play a regular-season schedule with winning teams in each age group advancing to the 2013 NPL Champions Cup. The Pacific Developmental NPL will play half of its games in the fall and the remaining games in the spring, following the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and ECNL model for scheduling.
“The SCDSL is pleased to be joining with US Club Soccer in offering the Pacific Developmental NPL as a component of the SCDSL,” said league Operations Manager Michelle Romero. “The flexibility of the SCDSL structure allows us to offer the NPL program as an option to our member clubs and provides an added benefit of membership in the SCDSL with the top NPL teams representing the league in the 2013 NPL Champions Cup. Having the ability to play half of the games in the fall and half of the games in the spring allows us to balance the amount of games being played over the course of the year.”
“The addition of the Pacific Developmental NPL reflects the continued growth of the National Premier Leagues all across the United States,” said US Club Soccer Executive Director Bill Sage.
The Pacific Developmental NPL website will be available soon. Until then, please visit www.scdslsoccer.com.
For more information on the Pacific Developmental NPL, please contact Michelle Romero at michelle@scdslsoccer.com. For more information on the NPL, please contact NPL General Manager Chris Baer at cbaer@usclubsoccer.org or (614) 783-2237.
| ABOUT THE NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUES: |
US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues have been created to provide a national competitive developmental platform:
• focused on long-term player development;
• for the country’s top soccer clubs, allowing consistent, meaningful high-level games appropriately scheduled with higher training-to-game ratios;
• that allows players to be scouted and evaluated by U.S. Soccer National Staff and Technical Advisors;
• that is designed and structured by the clubs, based on the needs of the clubs;
• using international rules of competition;
• that provides an avenue for qualification for the NPL Champions Cup.
The NPL is an important component of US Club Soccer’s 10-year vision to refine the landscape for competitive youth soccer. This vision recognizes that:
• properly-structured youth soccer clubs are the vehicle through which player development does and must occur in the United States.
• clubs should play in leagues that provide meaningful games, allow establishment of the proper training-to-game ratio, and eliminate calendar congestion.
• National Premier Leagues, as well as the best clubs, should be integrated in US Club Soccer’s id2 National Identification and Development Program, include Player Development Programs (PDPs) in select local markets, and work closely with U.S. Soccer staff regarding player identification, and player and coach development.
| ABOUT US CLUB SOCCER: |
US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization committed to the development and support of soccer clubs and players in the United States. A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer maximizes flexibility and offers youth and adult player and staff registration, integrated competition platforms at the recreational and competitive levels, as well as a a variety of other programming, including the Olympic Developmen Program-sanctioned id2 National Player Identification and Development Program.
Unique to US Club Soccer is the ability of member clubs to unite youth and adult programs under one organizational umbrella, creating a “members for life” culture within each club.