30-482: The Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL) is a United States Adult Soccer Association and a National Independent Soccer Association affiliated Semi-Professional Elite League that includes teams from the Eastern United States . Currently the league has members from Connecticut , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Jersey , New York , Pennsylvania , and Virginia . The league is a partnership between
60-418: A $ 5,250 annual league fee. The low entry fee compared to USL League Two's of $ 50,000 has made the league an attractive alternative to teams looking to compete at the highest level of amateur play. The league requires that all teams play in stadiums with at least 500 seats, a scoreboard, and locker rooms with showers for both teams and officials. The home team is also responsible for providing water and food for
90-1065: A minimum of three months. USASA has one men's national league, the National Premier Soccer League and two women's national leagues, the Women's Premier Soccer League and United Women's Soccer . All national leagues must have at least thirty-six teams, spread throughout the four time zones of the continental United States and have leagues that last for a minimum of three months. USASA rules also provide for multi-state leagues, that must have four states, sixteen teams, and plays for at least three months per year. USASA's multi-state leagues are Cascadia Premier League, Eastern Development Program, Eastern Premier Soccer League , Gulf Coast Premier League , Mountain Premier League, National Independent Soccer Association , Southwest Premier League, and West Coast Soccer Association. State and local associations operate leagues under
120-491: Is "A National League with a Regional Focus". The National Premier Soccer League is divided into four separate regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West). Each region is divided into conferences with a varying number of teams per conference. The regular season runs from May to July with the exception of the West Region that has historically started in late March or early April. The NPSL currently has automatic berths in
150-762: Is a national organization for amateur soccer in the United States. It consists of 54 state associations in four regions, as well as national, regional, and state leagues. It compares to the United States Youth Soccer Association and its 54 affiliated State Associations - as it was once all one bodied structure. The USASA was founded in 1982 at the first metting of the Senior Division of the United States Soccer Federation. Later that year,
180-614: Is an American men's soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup . It is the successor of the Men's Premier Soccer League , a regional league originally based in the Western United States , which has now expanded nationwide to encompass teams from 29 states. The league's motto
210-786: Is awarded the Fritz Marth Amateur Cup. In addition to the trophy the winner of the National Amateur Cup is awarded an entry into both the Hank Steinbrecher Cup, and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup , which has been in existence since 1914. In 2013, USASA began a competition to pit the champions of the different men's amateur competitions ( USASA National Amateur Cup , National Premier Soccer League , USL League Two and defending Hank Steinbrecher Cup holder) against each other for
240-578: The 2019 championship. Officially the USSF does not recognize formal levels of the soccer pyramid below the professional 3rd tier. The USSF does not officially recognize distinctions between amateur soccer leagues in the United States. However, the USASA sanctions affiliated, but separately run, national leagues that are recognized in practical terms as playing at a higher level than the USASA state association leagues; for example, they receive automatic berths to
270-821: The National Independent Soccer Association announced its latest amateur league affiliation with the EPSL. It joined the previously announced Gulf Coast Premier League and Midwest Premier League in having in having an affiliation with the third division association. The affiliation includes at least two merit-based spots in the NISA Independent Cup tournament and participation on the NISA Alliance Board. | | |} United States Adult Soccer Association The United States Adult Soccer Association ( USASA )
300-670: The New York City –based Cosmopolitan Soccer League and the Maryland Major Soccer League . It is also an affiliate of the National Independent Soccer Association , a professionally sanctioned third division soccer association. The league was announced on July 23, 2020, in a joint effort between the Cosmopolitan Soccer League and Maryland Major Soccer League to create a regional based multi-league promotion and relegation system in
330-603: The U.S. Open Cup where they gain eligibility towards the CONCACAF Champions League . The National Premier Soccer League began in 2003 as the Men's Premier Soccer League (MPSL) initially as an offshoot of the Women's Premier Soccer League , and marked the first instance of a women's soccer league spawning a men's league. The league's first two champions were the Arizona Sahuaros , who had defected to
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#1732794555614360-795: The United States Soccer Federation reorganized and the senior division became a separate member. The USASA has been known as United States Senior Soccer Division, the United States Soccer Association, the United States Amateur Soccer Association, and finally its current name of the United States Adult Soccer Association. Under the five guiding values of transparency, inclusiveness, integrity, diversity and tradition,
390-476: The 2014 NPSL season. Renegade GK, hummel, MyCujoo, Passage, Carbon Athletics, GCG Sports, Activate Canopy, and HomeLight are all listed as current business partners (2021). Many NPSL teams have rivalries given the close geography of the teams throughout the league. The most notable rivalry was the Rust Belt Derby contested between Detroit City FC , AFC Cleveland , and FC Buffalo . The name refers to
420-666: The MPSL from the USL D-3 Pro League , and the Utah Salt Ratz . The league expanded into the Midwest in 2005 with the addition of several new teams and a new conference, and changed its name to National Premier Soccer League to reflect its new national footprint; a team from the expansion conference – Detroit Arsenal – won the league in its first year after its eastward expansion. The NPSL expanded further in 2007 with
450-501: The NPSL Founders Cup, was a competition that ran from August to October 2019. It was initially intended to lead to a new professional league beginning play in the spring of 2020. However, following the departure of numerous previously announced teams and issues in launching the professional league the tournament was altered. Detroit City FC won the cup on October 16, 2019, when the team defeated Michigan Stars FC , 1–0, in
480-660: The US Open Cup during the professional era (1997 and onward after the entry of MLS teams) has been the third round. However, the Brooklyn Italians have won the US Open Cup outright before the existence of either MLS or the NPSL. Although no team has ever won the league twice, the Miami FC camp has won the championship twice as a club. Its reserve team (Miami FC 2) won the 2018 title, and its first team (Miami FC) won
510-513: The US Open Cup. In November 2022, USASA announced it had established a Tier 1, which would be its top national tier. This designation would be based on financial stability and sustainability. After 20 years of association with USASA, NPSL would become their first Tier 1 league. The National Premier Soccer League attracts top amateur talent from around the United States. NPSL does not have any age limits or restrictions, thus incorporating both college players and former professional players alike. In
540-476: The United States. The league's goal is to have merit-based promotion from local amateur leagues, including champions, with the possibility of being relegated back into the local feeder leagues at the end of the season. The initial slate of members included many of the clubs that participated in the first division of the CSL the previous season. In the following months, the EPSL added teams from additional leagues such as
570-783: The Woodbridge Soccer League and United Premier Soccer League . On September 8, 2020, the league announced that the New Jersey–based Garden State Soccer League would become a feeder league for the EPSL. A future promotion spot in the Metropolitan Conference of the EPSL will be determined in a playoff between the champion of the GSSL and the champion of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. On September 4, 2020,
600-565: The addition of a new Northeast Conference and five new teams from the eastern United States . The first team from the East to win the national NPSL title was the Pennsylvania Stoners in 2008. The league has since continued to expand, adding more teams throughout the entirety of the country. Since its inception, the league has managed to place at least one team actively playing under its banner into U.S. Open Cup competition. Though
630-616: The fall of 2024, NPSL announced the establishment of regional conference leagues that will provide a path for more teams to reach the Tier 1 status full NPSL teams have with USASA. The first conference will be the Pacific Conference and will exist of the following six teams: JASA Redwood City, Marin County SC, Racing Sacramento City FC, Real San Jose, San Leandro United FC, and Yemen United California. The new conference will start in
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#1732794555614660-475: The fall of 2024. The NPSL is organized in a mostly decentralized structure and is managed as a team-run league. Each year the member clubs help elect a chairman, treasurer, and secretary and an eight-member board of directors. Each team is individually owned and operated, and is responsible for maintaining league minimum standards. New teams seeking membership into the NPSL are subject to approval from an executive committee of existing team owners. Member clubs have
690-575: The mission of the USASA is: USASA is governed by an executive committee composed of a president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, four regional directors, two at-large members, affiliate director and an independent director. USASA is organized into four regions — Region I , Region II , Region III, and Region IV which breakdown into the 54 affiliated state associations. In addition to these state associations, USASA's rules provide for national leagues and regional leagues. National Leagues must extend across all four time-zones, have 36 teams and play for
720-668: The penultimate game of the tournament. Executive committee NPSL board of directors NPSL leadership staff In April 2020, the NPSL launched a competitive gaming competition to promote the growth of the league in new areas. The league hopes to "bring its community members together for friendly competition on a virtual pitch". The first nine clubs to formally join the new eSports league were Atlantic City FC , Central Florida Panthers SC, Denton Diablos FC , Duluth FC , Fort Worth Vaqueros , FC Milwaukee Torrent , Muskegon Risers , Gate City FC , and Ozark FC . The league partnered with Virtual Pro Gaming to assist in operations of
750-499: The right to make localized decisions for their respective markets, conferences, and regions based on what they believe is best for their particular region. Each conference is managed by the individual member clubs and elects a conference commission each year. The current chairman is Kenny Farrell of the New Orleans Jesters . The costs to join the league as of 2016 are reported to be a one-time $ 15,000 franchise fee and
780-401: The showing of the NPSL in US Open Cup play was typically only one or two teams in its first six years, the 2009 and 2010 cups have seen four and three, respectively, NPSL teams in each tournament. The recent success of the NPSL in USASA qualifying has encouraged a movement by which the league could have automatic berths in the final tournament. The furthest a team from the NPSL has reached in
810-666: The teams' shared region, the Rust Belt . Another intense rivalry existed between the San Diego Flash and San Diego Boca/Force FC , which were crosstown rivals in San Diego . Until the 2013 sale and rebranding of Force FC from Boca FC, the ownership groups of the two clubs were previously partners in the original San Diego Flash club of the A-League that competed from 1998 to 2001. The NPSL Members Cup, originally called
840-556: The title of "Champions of Champions" Established in 1998, the Adult Soccer Fest is formally known as the Veteran's Cup and is a 5–day event sponsored by USASA for teams with players 30 years and older. Matches for Over–30 teams to Over–70 mens are played in an 11 v 11 format, while Over–70 women and Over–75 teams play in an 7 v 7 format. National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League ( NPSL )
870-441: The umbrella of the USASA. The national organization is split into four regions: Region I Region II Region III 'Region IV The National Amateur Cup is the most prestigious and longest running tournament for all of amateur soccer in the entire country, crowning its first champion, Fleisher Yarn in 1924. To qualify for the national tournament a team must win their respective regional cup. The winner of this tournament
900-399: The visiting team, ensuring there is a trainer or doctor on-site for the match, and paying the referees fees at the end of each game. Mitre Sports International provided the official ball for the NPSL starting in 2014. Global Scarves began providing custom soccer scarves throughout the league, and worked with the NPSL on various events and contests to increase awareness and fervor throughout
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