CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 19, 2009) – US Club Soccer’s Northeast Regional League, with U-15 and U-16 boys’ divisions, is taking shape with the commitment of eight clubs.

The league will kick off in April and run through July.

Committed clubs include:
Black Watch Premier (N.Y.)
Boston Blast FC (Mass.)
FC Bucks (Pa.)
FC Copa (N.J.)
JBS FC (N.Y./Conn.)
Jersey United (N.J.)
PDA (N.J.)
Soccer Plus Academy Nirvana (N.Y)

“We are honored at the distinction of being named as one of the inaugural clubs in the Northeast Regional League,” said Roberto Aguas, President and Founder of FC Copa. “Participation in the league will not only solidify the public view of FC Copa as a premier choice for selecting a club/team that provides the highest levels of development and competitive opportunities, but it will allow us to compete with like-minded, development-focused teams at the highest level.”

All teams will play each opponent once, and the full schedule will be announced in the near future. The teams will not participate in a season-ending playoff, and the champion will be determined based on cumulative points at the end of the regular season. Consistent with the other US Club Soccer regional leagues, the emphasis of the Northeast Regional League is on player development.

The Northeast Regional League will complement the Northeast Pre-Academy League for U-14 and U-15 teams from clubs involved in the USSF Development Academy. The Northeast Pre-Academy League kicked off in February and will continue through July.

“We not only look forward to having our U-15 and U-16 boys’ teams participating in this inaugural season, but being able to expand our participation to our other U-14 to U-17 boys’ and girls’ teams in future seasons,” Aguas said. “Our goal would be to have an FC Copa team participating in every age/gender group in the league as it progresses.”

Additionally, US Club Soccer recently announced the Southeast Regional League for U-13, U-15 and U-17 boys’ and girls’ teams.

As a result of the considerable interest expressed in US Club Soccer playing a more direct role in league development, the organization announced in September that it would begin selectively administering its own regional leagues. The Northeast Regional League is the third of these leagues to come to fruition.

“We have been strong supporters of US Club Soccer because of its efforts to remove a lot of the bureaucracy that surrounds youth soccer in the United States today,” Aguas added. “The Northeast Regional League continues this tradition in offering the highest levels of competition within the region, while minimizing costs and administrative issues.”

For more information on other US Club Soccer regional leagues, please contact your regional representative below:

Chris Baer, Central
cbaer@usclubsoccer.org

Mike Gould, Northeast
mgould@usclubsoccer.org

Kevin McGovern, Southeast
kmcgovern@usclubsoccer.org

Gabe Rood, West
grood@usclubsoccer.org

About US Club Soccer:
US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop competitive club soccer in the United States. It has been a member of the United States Soccer Federation since July 2001 and has grown to over 2,300 member clubs and leagues in 49 states. In addition to sanctioning tournaments, leagues and other competitions as well as offering a range of programs for its members, US Club Soccer annually conducts the National Cup and the National Collegiate Showcase. US Club Soccer also directs its own annual player identification and development program – id2.

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