Alliance Soccer League to join NPL; NYCSL expands for 2019-2020

(Via US Club Soccer) – The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is strengthening next season, particularly in the New York Metropolitan area, with the addition of the Alliance Soccer League to the national landscape and the expansion of the New York Club Soccer League’s (NYCSL) NPL Division.

Alliance Soccer League

The Alliance Soccer League’s inaugural season, which begins this fall, will be as a member of the NPL. The national network of top leagues around the country has officially welcomed the growing, New Jersey-based league as the 21st member of the NPL.

The Alliance Soccer League is club-based and player-focused, bringing an innovative approach to the state’s competitive landscape. Boys clubs in 8-U through 19-U age groups comprise the league in its opening campaign and the 14-U and older champions will qualify to the Elite National Premier League (ENPL) postseason.

“The Alliance Soccer League welcomes the opportunity to compete on the field and collaborate off the field with our fellow member NPL Leagues and Clubs,” added Alliance Soccer League Director Sean Carey. “Our competitive platforms will offer both boys and girls players, teams and clubs pathways to the appropriate levels of competition to develop and grow as players and people. Interacting with many of the Northeast’s top clubs and Directors of Coaching will benefit everyone competing under the Alliance Soccer League’s umbrella. We look forward to embracing the many resources available to our parents and families within the US Club Soccer ecosystem while adding real competitive value to the NPL and ENPL National platform.”

Alliance Soccer League member clubs will be announced shortly. The league will also feature a team-based second division of NPL competition for boys, while Girls NPL competition will be established for next year’s 2020-21 season. Clubs or teams interested in participating in either boys division, or next season’s girls platform should contact Mike Gould at [email protected].

The Alliance Soccer League plans to host a Player Development Program (PDP) this year. “Extending an NPL invitation to the Alliance Soccer League was an easy decision,” said Leo Garcia, NPL General Manager and US Club Soccer Vice President of Competitions. “We’ve known their member clubs for a long time, and they’ve all earned the right to compete at this elite level.”

For more information about the Alliance Soccer League, contact Sean Carey at [email protected].

NYCSL-NPL Division

The NYCSL-NPL Division will strengthen next season with the addition of AC Connecticut as a new boys member for the 2019-20 season. Concurrently, Eastern FC is set to field teams in all boys age groups.

This season’s NYCSL-NPL Division boys member clubs are listed on the NYCSL website here. Beginning in Fall 2019, the league will offer team-based NPL Divisions, initially comprised of NY Cup winners and NYCSL Premier League champions. Additional teams are selected via invitation only.

“We’re very happy to have AC Connecticut join the NYCSL NPL division and to have Eastern FC field teams in all boys age groups, this fall,” commented John Curtis, Technical Director of the NYCSL. “AC Connecticut has made great efforts in CCSL & Metro competitions and we’re delighted it has now been rewarded with acceptance into US Club Soccer’s ENPL structure. We wish their teams the very best of luck in the NPL and hope NYCSL platforms continue to support the clubs’ development.”

The NYCSL-NPL Division is both a formidable member of the ENPL and a perennial contender at the annual Girls NPL Finals. In the course of an impressive stretch, an NYCSL Girls NPL Division member has claimed an NPL national title at each of the past four NPL Finals, including SUSA bringing home the Girls 15-U trophy last summer.

The NYCSL Girls NPL Division will look to continue this championship run, while increasing standards in the 2019-20 season. Teams interested in joining the NYCSL Girls NPL Division should contact Mike Gould at [email protected].