The NPL is a national competition platform created to elevate and change the competitive youth soccer landscape by:

• extending developmental principles espoused by U.S. Soccer into more age groups and clubs
• linking competition with player development and identification platforms
• providing meaningful weekly competition culminating in the NPL Finals

NPLs are leagues unified under one national competition platform and based on a common technical framework. More specifically, the NPL provides a 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 and eliminate calendar congestion
• integrated with the id² Program, which includes Player Development Programs (PDPs) in select local markets, and that works closely with U.S. Soccer staff regarding player identification, and player and coach development
• designed and structured by the clubs, based on the needs of the clubs
• that provides an avenue for qualification for the NPL Finals and Elite National Premier League

The NPL Finals – formerly known as the NPL Champions Cup – features the champions of NPLs across the United States among 13-U through 18/19-U boys and girls age groups. Teams play group games before advancing to knock-out rounds to determine the NPL champion in every age group.

The 2018 NPL Finals was held in a few phases from late June to mid-July:

• 2018 Girls NPL Finals (13-U through 19-U age groups): July 12-16 at Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, Colo.
  • Recap | Photos | Results | Daily log
• 2018 Boys Eastern NPL Finals (15-U, 16-U and 17-U age groups): June 29-July 3 at Progin Park in Lancaster, Mass.
  • Recap | Photos | Results | Daily log
• 2018 Boys Western NPL Finals (15-U, 16-U and 17-U age groups): June 29-July 3 at Surf Cup Sports Park in San Diego, Calif.
  • Recap | Photos | Results | Daily log
• 2018 Boys 19-U NPL Finals (only 19-U age group): June 29-July 3 at Progin Park in Lancaster, Mass.
  • Recap | Photos | Results | Daily log

In 2019, the Girls NPL Finals will be held July 11-15 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. Boys players in the NPL will compete on the ENPL side, as all leagues qualify to the 2019 ENPL National Playoff, June 28-July 2 in Rockford, Illinois.

The 2016 NPL Showcase was held Dec. 29-31 in Palm Coast, Fla, featuring 98s/99s, 00s and 01s girls.

In the past, US Club Soccer has hosted two NPL Showcase events for 15-U through 17-U girls teams (2014-15 and 2015-16), and one for 16-U through 18-U boys teams (2014).

The NPL partnered with the Surf Cup and Jefferson Cup in August 2014 to provide top NPL teams slots at both prestigious national events beginning in 2015.

US Club Soccer and the Elite Clubs National League are collaborating to create a new national competition and development platform for 14-U through 18/19-U boys. The Elite National Premier League (ENPL) provides local and national regular-season competition, national showcase events and postseason playoff competition for top teams across the country.

The ENPL includes both member Elite Clubs National League conferences (Boys ECNL Conferences) and member National Premier Leagues (NPLs), providing multiple entry paths into the competition. ENPL competition includes 14-U, 15-U, 16-U, 17-U and 19-U boys age groups, and includes participating teams from two independent qualification paths: (i) qualifying teams from designated National Premier Leagues across the country; and (ii) qualifying teams from ECNL club-based conferences across the country. These teams came together to compete for the ENPL National Championship in a two-stage postseason event in June-July 2018. Here is the official recap of the 2018 ENPL National Finals in Colorado.