Brand New UPSL Academy League Launches in Southern California
With the spring season officially underway in UPSL conferences across the country, the United Premier Soccer League is proud to announce the start of a brand-new UPSL Academy League in Southern California.
The UPSL SoCal Academy joins Florida, Georgia and the Northeast as part of a new UPSL Academy platform that provides affordable access to high-level youth soccer with a pathway to the semi-professional level and beyond.
The UPSL Academy league, sanctioned by US Soccer through the UPSL, will implement a simplified registration and player carding system, and aims to remove barriers to entry in youth soccer. UPSL Commissioner Yan Skwara spoke about the excitement surrounding the launch of the UPSL SoCal Academy league.
“With the success of the UPSL on the Men’s side in the region, we felt now was the opportune time to launch our academy division to truly create a pathway from top to bottom. We couldn’t be more excited to kick off the UPSL Academy league in this area where there are a lot of high-level youth soccer players. It’s going to be a great combination of current UPSL and non-UPSL clubs competing in U17,U15 and U13 divisions in our inaugural season. We expect this league to be very competitive.”
In addition to creating a platform that allows players to develop, the Academy league also serves as an opportunity for adult teams in the UPSL to develop the youth soccer side of their club with low-cost fees. This gives clubs of all sizes the chance to compete on the same competitive platform. The Academy season also complements any current youth soccer season with flexibility in scheduling and opportunities to play midweek games.
Liverpool FC International Academy – SoCal Director, Tim Woodcock spoke about the role the UPSL Academy plays for his club’s player development.
“We are extremely excited to play in the UPSL Academy league. These games will provide the perfect practice / play balance for our teams. These kids want the opportunity to play more, and this league will allow them to play more and develop.
There are a lot of leagues in this area, but what makes the UPSL platform so exciting is the pathway that extends all the way from youth to the adult-level in the UPSL Premier Division. We are committed to providing the best opportunities for our kids in our club, and we fully intend to develop pros in the UPSL.”
The UPSL Academy League is now underway in Southern California and Florida, as teams in the Northeast and Georgia prepare to follow suit. Stay tuned for all announcements regarding USPL Youth Academy by visiting youth.upsl.com and following @upslacademy on social. Team applications to join the UPSL Academy league can be found at https://upslregistration.com/application/team.
About United Premier Soccer League
The UPSL was formed in 2011 and occupies the unofficial fourth tier of US Soccer. Across its Premier, Division 1 and Womens leagues there are more than 400 teams competing nationwide. The UPSL is now the largest Pro Development League in North America and is a National Affiliate member of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated. UPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the league’s affiliation with USSF.
More information about UPSL can be found at www.upsl.com or by following the league on Facebook (facebook.com/upslsoccer), Instagram (@upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer).
Contact UPSL: [email protected] / Media: [email protected]