Southern Regional Premier League announces new competition structure
FRISCO, Texas (Via US Youth Soccer) — The US Youth Soccer Southern Regional Premier League (SRPL) has announced a new competitive structure for the upcoming season. The new format will include larger organized events that bring the top teams in US Youth Soccer Region III together in one place to compete against each other.
The SRPL will have two divisions — East and West — with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee in the East, and Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Texas and South Texas in the West. The new format will represent a 40 percent increase in teams from the SPRL East Division states and a 25 percent increase in teams from the SRPL West Division states.
Following the feedback of college coaches, the SRPL will be more event-focused in the future — holding events by gender to provide greater identification opportunities to better fit the needs of college coaches and the league’s college-bound athletes. Events in the East Division will feature up to 112 teams, while most events in the West Division will include 100 teams.
The SRPL’s fall competition will begin on the weekend of Aug. 8, and the last scheduled regular season events are Oct. 17-18. Labor Day weekend will see all SRPL teams in action and feature 636 games played at four locations. In the East Division, the girls will play in Auburndale, Fla., and the boys will play Greenville, S.C. In the West Division, the girls will play in Little Rock, Ark., and the boys will play in Tulsa, Okla.
“We are excited for the new structure in the Southern Regional Premier League and believe the new format will create a more competitive environment that suits the best interests of players and coaches,” SRPL Commissioner Charlie Slagle said. “The events will allow the most competitive teams in the region to meet in one location and test themselves against high caliber competition.”
Other SRPL structure updates:
The East will have a Premier Division, with eight teams from all six states playing a seven-game round robin schedule in the U15-18 age groups. The Under-14 Premier Division will have 12 teams who play an 11-game round robin schedule.
The East will have a First Division, with 12 teams playing an 11-game schedule in the U15-18 age groups. There will be two 10-team First Divisions (North and South) in the Under-14 age group.
The West will have two equal groups of 10 teams (Group A and Group B), which will play a nine-game round robin schedule. The top eight teams from each group will advance to a playoff weekend.
There will be promotion and relegation in the East between the Premier and First Divisions.
The 2015-16 West competition will determine placement and relegation for the 2016-17 season.
Accepted teams for the upcoming SRPL season were decided by their performance in the SPRL during 2014-15, as well as their performance in their state leagues and US Youth Soccer State Cups.
The SRPL provides an opportunity for the most competitive teams in US Youth Soccer Region III to play each other on a scheduled basis while also competing for placement in the prestigious US Youth Soccer Region III Championships, as well as the highly-competitive US Youth Soccer National League. Competing in the SPRL creates an optimal environment for player development, as teams face quality competition with advancement to the Regional Championships and National League on the line.
