CASL, Triangle FCA enter historic partnership with North Carolina FC
Cary, NC (Via North Carolina FC) – North Carolina Football Club has entered into a historic collaboration with the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) and Triangle Futbol Club Alliance (TFCA) resulting in the largest youth-to-professional soccer club in the United States. CASL and TFCA will rebrand as North Carolina FC Youth beginning this season and complete the transition this summer.
North Carolina FC Youth will take the field in the fall wearing the NCFC crest on their jerseys.
“This truly is an historic partnership,” said North Carolina FC owner Steve Malik. “We now have a soccer pyramid from youth recreational leagues up to the highest level of men’s and women’s professional soccer in North Carolina. North Carolina FC Youth will be home to more than 13,500 youth players and will be a key positive differentiator in our already strong Major League Soccer bid. The collaboration shows the unified and powerful support of soccer at all levels in our area. I want to personally thank the visionary leadership of CASL and TFCA for their work in accomplishing this goal.”
A combined 61 years of soccer management, coaching, and on-field success between CASL and TFCA will ensure North Carolina FC Youth will offer elite player development and training opportunities to players of all ages and abilities.
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“North Carolina FC, CASL, and TFCA share a similar vision for the future of youth soccer in North Carolina and our country,” said Gary Buete, CASL CEO. “We have been committed to providing the best youth soccer opportunities the past 43 years, and this collaboration enhances our opportunities to continue being on the cutting edge of youth development. We owe a huge credit to CASL’s founders, predecessors, and former players whose commitment, success, and good decisions put us in a position to take this next step.”
As part of the collaboration, all CASL and TFCA players and coaches will become members of North Carolina FC, growing the club’s membership to more than 20,000. This growth and the collaboration will provide broader marketing, enhanced sponsorship opportunities, and increased merchandising efforts that will enhance the visibility of the North Carolina FC brand, effectively strengthening the club’s MLS aspirations.
“Over the past 18 years, our current and former players, coaches, staff, and board members created an environment for TFCA to excel on and off the field,” said Marlow Campbell, Executive Director of TFCA. “We are excited to take this next step with CASL and NCFC. We believe that our combined resources will lead to increasingly better opportunities for our players and families, while supporting the growth of soccer in North Carolina.”
