US Club Soccer and New England Premiership extend long-term sanctioning agreement

US Club Soccer and New England Premiership (NEP) have announced a long-term extension of their sanctioning agreement.

NEP partnered with US Club Soccer as its sanctioning body in 2014, and US Club Soccer provides each of its 22 member clubs support for continued success.

NEP maintains a club-centric philosophy in all of its decision making, and membership is limited to clubs who have demonstrated a commitment to player development. Coaches of accepted member clubs have minimum license requirements, and minimum standards for facilities must be met by all clubs. Clubs are also required to have a dedicated Director of Coaching with a minimum of a USSF B License.

The aforementioned expectations have solidified NEP as the powerhouse league in the area, with clubs earning a number of US Club Soccer national titles over the years. Most notably, NEFC has earned nine national titles since 2014, while South Shore Select has captured three consecutive titles since 2017.

“NEP is thrilled to be renewing our agreement with US Club Soccer,” said Adam Scott, NEP League Director. “Our league has flourished over the years with US Club Soccer’s support and guidance, as well as the autonomy they provide the NEP to best support our members clubs, our coaches and, most importantly, our players. Over the next four years we are confident that the NEP will continue to thrive and properly develop as a league while creating the best possible learning and playing environments for our players.”

Among the highlights:

• League play. NEP will provide league competition for all divisions during the fall and spring seasons. NEP’s NPL Division will be part of US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues (NPL), a collection of 21 leagues unified under one national competition platform and based on a common technical framework. Qualifiers from the NEP’s NPL Division will join teams from other NPLs throughout the country in competing for a national championship via the NPL postseason.
• Regional cup. Beginning Spring 2021, NEP will run a New England Regional Cup competition sanctioned by US Club Soccer. This new integration with US Club Soccer’s competition series will allow U-13 through U-19 boys and girls from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont to compete for the chance to be named champion of the New England region, and advance to US Club Soccer’s National Cup Finals.
• Coaching education. NEP will continue to internally host U.S. Soccer coach licenses courses via US Club Soccer, and benefit from US Club Soccer’s other educational and developmental offerings, such as its LaLiga coaching education programming. By controlling the calendar of coaching education courses, NEP can ensure that coaches who desire to further their licensing have the opportunity to do so.
• Olympic Development Program (ODP)-sanctioned player identification and development pathway. NEP members will benefit from US Club Soccer’s ODP-sanctioned programming, which includes PDPs at the local level, id2 Training Camps at the regional and national level, as well as National Selection programming at the national and international level. This pathway provides opportunities for exposure to National Team staff. A few of the past participants include Tyler Adams, Emily Alvarado, Jonathan Gonzalez, Lindsay Horan, Catarina Macário, Christian Pulisic, and Tim Weah, among others.
• Players First. In addition to its currently licensed clubs, NEP is committed to helping more of its clubs achieve Players First-licensed status and take advantage of its various offerings. Players First is a branded, holistic club soccer experience for parents and players which emphasizes the development of each individual to his or her full potential, and helps parents make better choices about where their children should play.
• Officiating. In conjunction with its player development efforts, NEP has also worked to develop the officiating side of the game, acquiring the highest quality referees and providing a referee mentor program.

“We are delighted to be renewing our agreement with New England Premiership, a league committed to each of its players and their parents,” said Kevin Payne, US Club Soccer CEO. “The league’s standards set the bar for competitors across the country, and we look forward to working with NEP over the next four years to make every player’s experience ideal.”