The Premier League of America (PLA) was an American soccer league consisting of teams in cities in the Great Lakes region of the United States . The league was a part of the United States Adult Soccer Association . It began its first season of play in 2015 as the Great Lakes Premier League, and at the end of the 2017 season its member clubs moved to form the Midwest Conference of the United Premier Soccer League .
23-518: Grand Rapids FC and AFC Ann Arbor both applied to become members of the National Premier Soccer League for the start of the 2015 season and they were both denied admission to the league. Instead of waiting a year or finding another league, the teams decided to start a league of their own. AFC Ann Arbor owner Jamey Amrine and Grand Rapids FC president Matt Roberts began discussions with other teams to gauge interest in forming
46-561: A 2015 season in which GRFC finished in second place, averaging 4,509 fans per game, the team announced on September 25, 2015, that they would leave the Great Lakes Premier League to join the National Premier Soccer League . The 2016 season resulted in a first-place position in the NPSL Great Lakes West conference and qualification for the playoffs by beating AFC Ann Arbor in a 3–1 victory in front of
69-505: A club record 6,854 spectators. The club reached the final of the NPSL Midwest Regional playoffs and beat Indy Eleven NPSL in front of a record attendance of 6,912, qualifying the team for the 2017 US Open Cup. The following day GRFC lost against 2016 NPSL champions AFC Cleveland on penalties. On November 1, 2016, the club announced they would add a women's team under the same GRFC banner, which would begin play in 2017 in
92-558: A community-funded project along the lines of Nashville FC . Fundraising began on February 14, 2014, by word of mouth and was opened to the public a month later. The team applied to the National Premier Soccer League for the 2015 season but their application was denied. Instead, GRFC and AFC Ann Arbor (also denied an NPSL bid in 2015) founded the Great Lakes Premier League . The new league held its inaugural meeting on January 17, 2015, with six teams. Following
115-573: A new Midwest division of the United Women's Soccer league. The women's team plays at Grandville High School in Grandville, Michigan. The Grand Rapids FC (women) won the 2017 United Women's Soccer Championship in their inaugural season. On December 5, 2019 it was announced that the club would be moving from the NPSL to USL League Two . Also during this time, the ownership of the women's side
138-532: A new league. Their work led to the formation of the Great Lakes Premier League. The new league held its inaugural league meeting on January 17, 2015 in Grand Rapids, MI . The two clubs were joined as charter members by Oakland United - later Oakland County FC - based in Rochester, Michigan, and two decades-old Croatian American clubs, Croatian Eagles SC of Milwaukee and RWB Adria of Chicago. Before
161-803: A playoff spot, Nashville was eliminated at the Conference Semi-final stage by Chattanooga FC , who finished top of the Conference and went on to lose in the Championship match. The club had ambitions of climbing the American Soccer Pyramid , with the reported target an entry into the third-tier United Soccer League (USL) by 2017, and then ascension into the Division II North American Soccer League by 2020. However, in 2016,
184-580: The NPSL . An eleventh team for 2016 was added on January 13, 2016, as Stegman's Soccer Club joined as Minneapolis City SC . After their single season in the PLA, Minneapolis City announced their move to the NPSL . On August 1, 2016 it was announced that Muskegon Risers SC would join the Premier League of America for the 2017 season after a unanimous 12-0 vote by current team owners. On September 6, 2017,
207-591: The 2016 season. The team was founded by a supporters group that intended to form a team as a fan owned group. Club president Chris Jones cited existing fan-owned clubs as inspiration for NFC's foundation, in particular English club F.C. United of Manchester . In February 2014, the two groups merged to form a single club for the 2014 NPSL season . The club had two teams participating in the Middle Tennessee Soccer Alliance, Nashville's largest competitive adult league, and had partnered with
230-642: The TN State Soccer Association (TSSA), an organization with over 20,000 registered players in the middle Tennessee area alone. On May 24, 2014, Nashville FC held its first ever home match at Vanderbilt Stadium , defeating the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves 3–1 in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans. After a maiden season in which fourth place in the Southeastern Conference garnered the club
253-536: The United Premier Soccer League announced that eleven of the twelve PLA clubs (all save Grand Rapids Ole SC) had joined its league and would comprise the UPSL's new Midwest Conference. In 2015 the league had a schedule that featured round robin play, where each team played every other team home and away. The league did not host a post-season tournament in 2015 and determined its champion based on
SECTION 10
#1732797266553276-586: The United Soccer League awarded a franchise to a separate ownership group in Nashville. Nashville FC subsequently sold its team name, logo, and color scheme to the new USL franchise, which became known as Nashville SC , in exchange for a 1 percent equity stake in the USL team and a voting seat on its board. The NPSL Nashville FC disbanded after the 2016 season. The city was awarded a new franchise in
299-627: The early German influence in Grand Rapids' brewing, notably Christoph Kusterer, as well as city design. The combination of royal and navy blue reflects a continuity with West Michigan sports teams and various Grand Rapids imagery. In 2020 and 2021, Grand Rapids FC had used the Midwest United FC Soccer Complex as their home field. Prior to 2020, Houseman Field in the Midtown neighborhood of Grand Rapids had been
322-746: The final season standings. As part of the re-branding announcement for 2016, it was announced there would be a two-division geographical split, with an end-of-season championship playoff. The league will host a championship tournament at a neutral site with the top two teams from each division qualifying. The semifinals were played on July 30. The final and third place matches were played on July 31. Bold = winner * = after extra time , ( ) = penalty shootout score Played at Heartland Value Fund Stadium in Glendale, Wisconsin . Bold = winner * = after extra time , ( ) = penalty shootout score Grand Rapids FC Grand Rapids FC
345-426: The home field since the club's inception. National Premier Soccer League Minor competitions Reference: The Grand Army was the supporters group for Grand Rapids FC. Starting in 2015, all pre-game festivities were held at Bob's Bar and a march led through the Midtown neighborhood. In June 2015 a fanzine entitled What if it Rains started publication. The name of the magazine referred to one of
368-674: The inaugural season began, Milwaukee Bavarians was announced as the first expansion franchise, to begin play in 2016. A second expansion team, Toledo United FC , joined in July 2015. In September 2015, AFC Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids FC left the GLPL for the NPSL. The following November, the Madison 56ers left the NPSL after eleven seasons to join the Great Lakes Premier League. The league announced on December 8, 2015 that they would be rebranding as Premier League of America, to more accurately reflect
391-662: The league, called Inter Nashville FC . Nashville FC played at Vanderbilt Stadium beginning in 2015 after quickly outgrowing the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex in their inaugural season. When the Triple-A Nashville Sounds baseball team announced plans to move to the new First Tennessee Park , Nashville FC stated their aim to reconfigure the Herschel Greer Stadium complex for soccer use, following
414-560: The potential growth of the league away from the Great Lakes area. Two days later, Carpathia FC of Sterling Heights, Michigan in the Detroit suburbs was added as team number eight. The same month, Aris SC of La Crosse, Wisconsin and Aurora Borealis SC from Aurora, Illinois were added. Aris has since been removed from PLA announcements. A tenth team was added on January 11, 2016, as Minnesota United FC Reserves moved over from
437-496: The previous example of the Portland Timbers ' renovation of Providence Park , but in Nashville's case this did not occur. Nashville's main rivals were fellow Tennessee club Chattanooga FC , based 135 miles away. In addition, the four Tennessee clubs in the NPSL ( Chattanooga FC , Knoxville Force , Memphis City FC , and Nashville FC) competed for a rivalry trophy called the " Volunteer Shield ". The Volunteer Shield
460-562: The reasons the NPSL originally declined the club's application and celebrated the club's massive support. Nashville FC Nashville Football Club was a soccer organization based in Nashville, Tennessee . Founded in 2013, the team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid , in the Southeast Conference. The club disbanded after
483-486: Was an American soccer club based in Grand Rapids, Michigan , whose senior men's team played in USL League Two . The team was founded in 2014 and ceased operations in 2021. Its first season was in 2015. It was initially funded by a group of supporters who purchased memberships to cover the operating expenses, as well as by local sponsors. Grand Rapids FC (GRFC) was started by a group of Grand Rapids residents as
SECTION 20
#1732797266553506-485: Was presented at the end of the season to the supporters of the club that took the most points in games against one another, with a medallion added to the trophy commemorating the year. The club's colors were chosen from the Flag of Nashville, Tennessee . The club's crest was a roundel. The overall shape and formation of the circular "N" along with the small center circle was to represent a spinning record, paying respect to
529-498: Was transferred to Midwest United FC and their name was changed to reflect this change. Grand Rapids FC ceased operations on October 27, 2021. The club cited that the lack of an adequate home venue and the financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of the club. On March 14, 2014, representatives of the club released their vision for the official club logo and colors. The badge draws inspiration from
#552447