ECNL Girls Regional League – Heartland Conference to launch in 2020-2021 season

RICHMOND, VA – The ECNL Girls will be adding a new league to its growing platform of Regional Leagues, as the ECNL Girls Regional League – Heartland Conference will begin play in the 2020-21 season.

The ECNL Girls Regional League – Heartland will include competition at the U14, U15, U16 and U17 age groups.

ECNL Girls Regional Leagues are designed to service a deeper player pool from member clubs within the ECNL Girls, and to provide a competitive platform for objective evaluation of new clubs for full ECNL membership in the future.

Top performing teams in ECNL Girls Regional Leagues currently earn the opportunity to compete in the Open Cup Division of the ECNL Playoffs in June at the U15, U16 and U17 ages, where they will match up against other ECNL Girls Regional League teams as well as teams from the full ECNL.

The following clubs will be participating in the ECNL Regional League – Heartland in the 2020-21 season:

“SLSG is excited to be a part of the newly formed ECNL Girls Regional League – Heartland Conference. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the other clubs to provide our membership with a first-class soccer experience. The ECNL Girls Regional League will allow more girls within our club and the local area the chance to be a part of a proven platform that continues to help female players develop in a challenging environment.”

Scott McDoniel, SLSG

“Kansas City Scott Gallagher is excited for the opportunity to be a part of the ECNL Girls Regional League – Heartland Conference.  This elite platform provides another layer in our club to give players an opportunity to consistently compete at a high level against some of the best talent in our region and beyond.”

Dan Naidu, Kansas City Scott Gallagher

“Elite Girls Academy is excited to be a part of the newly formed ECNL Regional League – Heartland Conference.  The opportunity to provide ECNL competition to more of our membership is exciting, and will allow us to further increase our ability to develop players within the best platform in the country.  We look forward to working alongside the other clubs in this new Regional League opportunity.”

Marcus Kelcher, Elite Girls Academy 

“Missouri Rush is excited to be a part of the ECNL Regional League. The ECNL has been a proven platform for players to compete at the highest levels as well as being exposed to many recruiting opportunities. We have been working diligently to create a deeper player pool within our club and local community through the extensive offerings at Rush. By partnering with the clubs in the Regional League – Heartland Conference, we are one step closer to achieving our goals.”

Nick Teater, Missouri Rush Soccer Club

“KC Athletics is very happy to be included in the ECNL’s newest competition platform.  The Regional League allows for more of our coaches, players and families to be exposed to the outstanding environment created by the ECNL. We believe that having two teams playing in these different ECNL platforms will help further enhance our player development opportunities.”

Huw Williams, Kansas City Athletics

“Sporting Iowa is extremely excited to participate in the new ECNL Regional League – Heartland Conference. At Sporting Iowa, we are constantly searching for great opportunities and partnerships that will enhance the experience for our players and families. The Elite Clubs National League hosts the biggest and best clubs in the country, and we are proud to be the first and only club in Iowa to be selected to participate.”

John ‘Shedzy’ Sheridan, Sporting Iowa

Six ECNL Girls Regional Leagues are operating in the 2019-20 season: Northeast, Northwest, Ohio Valley, Southwest, Texas and Virginia.  Last week, the league announced the addition of the ECNL Regional League – Carolinas for the 2020-21 Season, expanding the platform in the Mid-Atlantic region.  The platform will expand significantly in 2020-2021 in both number of leagues and additional benefits and opportunities for players and teams in each league.

Additional information on qualification and participating conferences for the 2020-21 Season will be released in the coming months.