Texas Champions League announced as new US Club Soccer NPL
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Via US Club Soccer) – The United Soccer Clubs and Lake Highlands Girls Classic League have partnered to create the Texas Champions League, a regional girls league that will join the NPL for the 2016-17 season. The Texas Champions League includes U-14 through U-18 clubs from south Texas, north Texas and Oklahoma.
Since its inception in fall 2015, the United Soccer Clubs has already doubled in size, hosted the first-ever LaLiga Formation Methodology course and sent players to id² Training Camps. The Texas Champions League represents a continued evolution of local to regional to national competition.
The Lake Highlands Girls Classic League is a coveted league in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and has traditionally been considered among the top girls leagues in the country, producing numerous collegiate and U.S. National Team players over the years.
The Texas Champions League is composed of:
- Eight teams from Lake Highlands, five teams from ECNL clubs and three additional Lake Highlands qualifiers based on last year’s results
- Six teams from United Soccer Clubs, four teams from ECNL clubs and two additional United Soccer Clubs qualifiers based on last year’s results, plus Oklahoma FC and Tulsa SC
Sixteen teams make up each age group for a 15-game schedule. League winners qualify to the annual NPL Finals, which is the coveted destination for all NPL member leagues. There are additional national title qualification opportunities within the National Cup, US Club Soccer’s cup-based national championship series. US Club Soccer will also extend opportunities from its Player Development Program (PDP) and id² Program to the league.
“When clubs collaborate to make their competitive environment better, great things happen,” said Christian Lavers, US Club Soccer Executive Vice President and ECNL President. “We are excited to support these clubs as they further develop their league and its programs.”
“This is an exciting time for our league as we expand on our mission, now providing the most competitive playing environment for our players both locally and regionally,” said Stephanie Cherry, Lake Highlands Girls Classic League President. “We are looking forward to competing with the best from South Texas and Oklahoma.”
“United Soccer Clubs is excited about the opportunity to partner with arguably the strongest girls league in the country, Lake Highlands Girls Classic League, to form a regional platform that will the increase the opportunities for the players in Texas and Oklahoma to compete and develop,” said United Soccer Clubs President Pat O’Toole. “We have come a long way in a short period of time in developing a league that is 100 percent focused on the development of the players and the clubs they represent. We will continue to work with like-minded clubs, leagues and US Club Soccer to provide the best opportunities for the players and coaches in our league.”
